More of the old sorta-co-write!
Mmkay, here we go...
...banner by primula_baggins :)
Title: Undecided (Pt. 7)
Pairing(s): Sean A./Lij, Josh/Lij
Rating: Light NC-17 (no actual sex, but 'descriptions').
Synopsis: Things have to come full circle, and Elijah KNOWS that.
Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING (or anyone), I don't KNOW anything (or anyone), I only WISH I did! Pure fiction from my own mental madnesses.
Previous Parts: H&V-1, A_B-2, H&V-3, Both of us-4, H&V-5 (ending A-B's run, as she wanted me to take over), 6
“What, no extras?”
Dom smiled past the rim of his plain old cream and sugared coffee. “I don’t need half a cow’s worth of whipped cream in my coffee, thanks,” he replied.
“No taste,” Elijah replied, sipping his cinnamon dolce latte. “So…”
“So,” Dom repeated, smacking his lips.
Elijah put his drink down and rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t felt this insecure in a while. Now that he’d told Dom, everything was more open and vulnerable. But being able to talk about it--frankly, with no overbearing Sean or clueless Josh, was liberating in a way. “I’m sorry to put this on you,” Elijah said, breaking the small silence. “I guess I HAVE needed someone to talk to.”
“It’s a’right,” Dom said. “Life was getting boring, anyway. I need a few secrets to keep me on my toes.”
Elijah raised his eyebrows and looked to Dom. “What, for blackmail later?”
“Nooo,” Dom drawled, chuckling. “Just something to buzz in my brain. It’s been boring since leaving New Zealand.”
“Wish it was for me, too. Wish I could’ve come home with everything simple… either I was single, and Sean had to worry about telling his wife so we could be together, or… nothing ever happened in the first place, and I could come home to Josh without any complications.”
Dom sat back and folded his arms. Giving Elijah an inquisitive look, he sighed. “Who… would you choose, if you had to?” he asked.
“That’s…” Elijah started. He paused and let a wry chuckle escape. “Not an easy question to answer. At all.”
“Well… think on it. Who gives you what, and best?”
Questions, questions--all ones that Elijah had gone over in his mind. Over and over… but he hadn’t had the chance to voice them, to anyone. Perhaps it’d clear up some confusion. He stirred his drink and shrugged. “Well, Sean--he’s romantic. Very sweet and cuddly, like a giant teddy bear. He’s lost some weight, and I almost don’t like it. Stupid to say, but… I could just wrap my arms around him and snuggle close, feeling like the most comfortable person in the world.”
“How’s he fuck?” Dom blatantly asked.
Elijah nearly choked on his own saliva with the question. “Dom!“ he hissed, taking a quick look around the nearly-empty shop.
“Well?”
“God,” Elijah groaned, putting his hands to his face. “He’s… Jesus Christ, Dom…”
“C’mon,” Dom urged with a mischievous grin.
“He’s gentle. Sweet… very loving, almost artful about it,” Elijah said, rushing the words to just get them out. “Quiet and soft… I dunno. It’s nice.”
“And what’s Josh got on under his hat?”
Elijah had to chuckle. “Christ…”
“Come ‘ed.”
“Well… he’s not as romantic, that’s for sure. He’ll do some things, sometimes, but he’s not the flowers and candy type of guy.”
“Not many are,” Dom added.
“Well… I like that sort of thing. Our first Valentine’s Day was a disaster,” Elijah recalled. “I went out and got him some flowers and a CD he liked, showed up at his place…”
“And?” Dom urged.
“He just laughed. He couldn’t believe that I’d gone and done that. It was all unspoken, really; we hadn’t made any plans, but I just saw it as some impromptu, fun thing. It was like he never even thought on the day, at all,” Elijah explained solemnly. “He didn’t even get me a card--nothing. He stopped laughing when I tossed the gifts on his doorstep and rushed back to the car.”
Dom sighed, long and low and sipped more coffee. “Sounds rough.”
“Yea… but he did run after me, catching me at the car. He apologized, all stammering and not knowing what to say. He never really knows what to say… that’s kinda his ‘thing’ when it comes to emotional stuff.”
“Well, it’s simple. As much as ‘Irish’ can be a pain in the neck for me, he sounds like he’s done you a’right,” Dom concluded.
“No…” Elijah said, shaking his head a little. “Josh--I know how he is. He CAN be a softie sometimes, emotional… but it’s just not his thing. I’ve understood that from day one. But he is loving and sweet, y’now? He just doesn’t show it as much as Sean…”
“It’s the sex, isn’t it?” Dom interrupted.
Elijah looked to Dom’s cheeky grin and blinked. “Hmm?”
“You can tell by just looking at the guy. Josh is the type that fucks--like really, really fucks… isn’t he?” Dom said in a low tone.
Elijah swallowed, hard. “He… God,” he breathed out. “I’d been so fucking young when we’d met. I always pictured sex--with a guy or girl, didn’t matter… always pictured it as some bed, covered in rose petals and candlelight, whatever the fuck else,” Elijah said. He felt a small shiver run up his spine. “He was my first… ever.”
“Shite,” Dom murmured, smiling wider.
“And… it was good. It was so fucking good. Nothing was gentle or sickeningly sweet. He just took me, hard. And for the longest time… that’s all I wanted. Every time we’d hang out, we’d try to watch a movie, or have a casual night out, whatever. But it never lasted. The movie would get fifteen minutes in, or we’d just get into town… fuck’s sake, we once screwed in the back of his car in the parking lot of a club we’d planned on going to.”
Dom started laughing, almost too loudly. He shushed himself, putting his hand over his mouth. “Oh, how fucked you guys would’ve been if a photographer came up on ya,” he teased.
Elijah felt a blush on his cheeks and couldn’t help from smiling a little. “He’s a damned good lay, I’ll give him that.”
“But Sean is too, right?”
“Yea, in different ways. Sometimes I wish he was a bit rougher, but I like it,” Elijah said. “I just wish I could tell him… er…”
“Hmm?”
Elijah’s grin went more devious. He leaned in close and sighed. “I think his head would spin off if I ever said something like… ‘lick me, suck me, fuck me hard,’”
“Probably,” Dom muttered, staying very still. “Fuck knows I just got hard with you saying that, like that.”
Elijah put his hands over his eyes and chuckled. “Oh fucking hell.”
“S’true,” Dom said with a wink.
“Well… that’s tame, compared to how things are with Josh. He gets me saying shit that has me blushing for weeks. It’s dirty--and I love it.”
“So… we have a romantic, sweet Irish, and a dirty-sex, cool Josh,” Dom said. He bit his lip. “Me, I’d choose Josh.”
“That’s because you’re biased. You’ve never hung out with him.”
“Oh, but I’ve hung out with Sean,” he said, tipping his cup Elijah’s way. “Don’t tell me he doesn’t nag at you sometimes.”
Elijah sighed and shook his head. “Yea, well…”
“Okay then. So we have a romantic, sweet but nag-hag Sean, and a dirty-sex, cool but too cool Josh,” Dom reiterated. “The decision’s right in front of your face.”
“Oh yea?”
“Yup.”
“Who should I choose, oh, Great One?” Elijah sarcastically asked.
“Viggo.”
Elijah let a loud laugh escape; both of them looked around, seeing a few people looking over. Shrinking in his seat a little, Elijah blushed and kept chuckling. “Dom…!”
“Well, he’s a poet--romantic, and you know he’d have you in a minute,” Dom said. “And if those eyes don’t scream ‘Get on my dick and fuck me’, I’ve read everything wrong the last year and a half.”
“Dom… the last thing I need is someone else on my fucking dance card,” Elijah groaned out, still smiling.
“Are you… are you Elijah Wood?”
The voice next to their table made them look up, finding two teenaged girls standing there with wide eyes and nervous smiles. “Um… yea,” Elijah said, swallowing. God, they hadn’t heard anything, had they?
“Oh my… God,” the dark-haired girl said, her voice shaking on the words. Her red-headed friend all but started hopping on the balls of her feet while bring out two slips of paper.
“Can we… can we have your au-autograph?” she stammered.
Elijah smiled graciously and took the papers. He always carried a pen for such things; he took it from his pocket and sighed. “What’s your name?”
“Nadine,” she said.
“Mine’s Isobel!” the other girl said in a squeaky voice. She then looked to Dom and gasped. “Hey… you’re in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ too! I saw you on TV… Pippin, right?”
Elijah winced, but Dom chuckled brightly. “Well… Merry, the other hobbit.”
Once Elijah finished with the autographs, Nadine went over to Dom. “Can you sign it, too?” she asked excitedly.
“Sure,” he said.
Elijah watched with slight dismay; the girls were giving Dom glances, but their eyes had been set on him a LOT more. When Dom finished and gave them a wink, the girls looked reluctant to leave. But they did so, letting Elijah breathe easier. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?” Dom asked.
“Just… the ‘other hobbit’ thing.”
“Oh, Doodle,” Dom sighed out, stretching his arms over his head. “I promise… when you’re all washed-up and I have the biggest career there ever was in Hollywood’s history, I won’t hold it against you.”
Elijah chuckled more; it felt good to do so. He almost didn’t want to leave this place and head home.
~*~
After a promise to watch some crap TV with a nice round of drinks was made, Elijah had Dom drive them back to his place. Their conversation had gone from Elijah’s ‘relationship-s problems’, and straight on into general chit-chat. Once again, it felt good going over fun memories of filming and nights out. He wasn’t thinking of Sean or Josh or…
Now he had to.
“Oh… fuck,” he muttered as Dom pulled into his driveway.
“Well shit,” Dom said, putting the car in park--just behind Sean’s, whose car was right next to Josh’s.
The two of them were standing behind Sean’s car, chatting idly. They both noticed Elijah and Dom’s arrival, looking up to see them sitting in the car. Elijah blinked furiously and looked into his lap, trying hard to control his breathing.
“Look… I’ll just let you go. We can maybe hang out tomorrow--”
“No,” Elijah interrupted. Oh God, the idea of being with the both of them, altogether again, made him feel sick. He knew what he was about to request was selfish; he knew the discomfort Dom himself would be faced with, but… “Please. Please, come with me. I can’t…”
Dom nodded slowly. “Yea, a’right,” he mumbled.
Elijah nodded back and opened the door. He shut it and walked around Sean’s car, putting on his best face. Dom met him halfway as they approached; Elijah was doing his best to read Josh and Sean’s faces, hoping and praying…
Josh didn’t look happy… neither did Sean. “Hey,” Josh said, standing straighter.
“Hey,” Elijah said, holding back the nervousness climbing into his entire body. “How long… have you guys been here?”
“Maybe like, ten minutes,” Josh said with a shrug.
“Hey, Irish,” Dom said, putting on a small smile.
Sean raised his eyebrows and corner-smiled. “Hey back, Dom. What’s up?”
“Not much. We went for coffee… Lij tried making some when I showed up.”
“Oh man,” Sean said, now chuckling a little. “And you drank it?”
Dom chuckled also, nudging Elijah’s arm. He tried smiling, but his eyes fell back on Josh, who looked at Dom with confusion.
Oh… “Um, Josh--this is Dom. He played ‘Merry’ in the film.”
Josh nodded slowly. “Oh… right, okay. You’d mentioned him a few times.”
“Best have mentioned nothing but good,” Dom said with a wink. He extended his hand, which Josh took. Dom shook it and smiled. “Pleased to meet ya.”
“Yea… the same,” Josh replied.
“So… what’s going on? Am I having a party I forgot about?” Elijah said, trying to smile wider.
“Just dropped in, really. Wanted to see what was up,” Sean said.
“Oh. Um, not much. We just had a nice morning out,” Elijah told him. “We were gonna watch some movies or something. You can join us, if you want.”
“No thanks,” Josh abruptly stated, getting his keys out. “I was just gonna see if you wanted to head out or something. Have some lunch, whatever.”
“Oh…” Elijah said. His eyes darted to Sean, who stood expressionless against his car. No. He didn’t. Please God, say he didn’t…
“I’ll see you later… nice meeting you, Dom,” Josh dryly said.
“Yea… the same…”
“Wait,” Elijah said, sidestepping Josh’s car to the driver’s side.
Josh opened his door and sighed. “Yea?”
“You could… come over tonight, maybe. Something.”
“Whatever,” Josh said, now getting into the car. “Hang with your friends if you want to. I’ll keep myself busy.”
Elijah blinked even faster, feeling like he could cry at any second. “Okay. I’ll call you later, though. Okay?”
“Sure,” Josh said.
Elijah stepped back, resigned to watch Josh turn on the car and back out, edging along Dom’s vehicle carefully. Once back out into the road, however, he sped away, moving fast. Elijah watched until the car disappeared around the corner.
Sean told him. He fucking TOLD him…
“Lij…”
“No,” Elijah muttered angrily. Without looking at Dom or Sean, he walked to the house in quick steps and got inside. He knew they’d follow him--at least Sean would--and he didn’t care. He got into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. It was only noon, but… he didn’t care.
Sean soon arrived, of course; he stood in the kitchen doorway and sighed. Elijah heard the front door close, presumably by Dom. Hoping he’d come inside as well, Elijah poured out a drink. “Want one?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I don’t drink this early--neither should you,” Sean said.
Elijah’s nostrils flared, letting hot, angry breath escape. “Dom? Bourbon?” he called loudly.
“Sure… thanks,” he yelled back from the living room.
Sean stepped inside and groaned. “We need to talk, Lij. I’d much rather have you sober for it.”
“Gimmee a break,” Elijah said, now taking both glasses and brushing past Sean to head into the living room. He handed Dom his, who nodded graciously and began sipping.
Sean had turned and stepped back into the doorway, facing the two of them. He put his hands in his pockets, raised his eyebrows and nodded back to the kitchen. Elijah scoffed. “He knows, Sean,” he said, waving to Dom.
Sean’s face paled. “You just… you told him?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yea,” Elijah sighed out, looking away.
The anger rising in Sean’s face made Elijah’s blood boil. The man swallowed hard and looked to Dom. “Dom, I’m sorry--but me and Elijah need to talk.”
Dom went to nod and stood; Elijah, however, held out his hand. “No, you can stay, Dom. It’s all right.”
Sean stepped forth. “It doesn’t matter if he knows anything, Lij. I don’t want to broadcast our business,” Sean said.
“How about… I go read a book… or something?” Dom stammered out, nodding to the hall towards Elijah’s small game room. Elijah gritted his teeth but said nothing as Dom tried to smile his way. He then got up and made his silent retreat, leaving the two of them alone.
There were a few moments of silence as they avoided direct eye contact. Finally, Elijah moaned in frustration and sat on the arm of his couch. ‘So… you told him, huh?” he blurted in question.
Sean frowned, now looking to Elijah with narrowed eyes. “What?”
“Josh. You came out and told him.”
“Lij… for God’s sake, I didn’t. That’s YOUR job--one you have yet to do,” Sean replied.
Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Here we go… the demands, per usual.”
“Demands?” Sean said, his frown growing heavier. “Elijah, how have I been unreasonable here?”
“You just--” Elijah said, stopping abruptly. Deep down, even with his frustration towards the man, Sean wasn’t being unreasonable. He wanted to be honest and not drag this out. The fear Elijah felt, however… “I’m tired. I don’t want to think on it, and I wish everything could just happen the way we want it to, or not. I don’t know, Sean. I just don’t fucking know.”
Sean leaned on the door jamb and crossed his arms. “I hinted, Lij. I asked if he’d talked to you, and I deduced that you hadn’t told him. I’d asked you to tell him, last night--”
“And he wasn’t around, and I’m not gonna tell him over the phone, okay? I don’t see Josh every damned DAY, Sean,” Elijah interrupted angrily.
“Okay… fine. Fine,” Sean said, holding up his hands. “But if you call him tonight, you’re going to have to tell. Because I’m telling Christine when I get home from here. I’d just wanted to touch base with you first.”
Elijah put his bourbon on the table and snagged his cloves from his pocket. He lit one with shaking hands, feeling sicker than before. “Sean… you’re rushing me…”
“Okay, look,” Sean said, his voice stronger than before. “I’ve been the ‘straight man’ in all of this. I’ve stayed strong and convicted in how this needs to be done, because guess what, Lij? We can’t sit here and pretend this isn’t happening--we can’t lie anymore. You know that.”
“But I don’t even know what I want, Sean! I don’t! I mean, yes, I want to be with you, but I want to be with Josh…”
“And you can’t have it that way,” Sean interrupted.
“No, I can’t… and I can’t be pushed to make a decision about it, either!” he almost yelled. He stood up and shook his head, bringing the cigarette to his lips for a long, hard drag. His lips opened, sighing out smoke. “I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to tell.”
“And you think I do?” Sean said. “Can I just be honest with you?”
Elijah threw his hands up and let them drop. “May as well.”
Sean closed his eyes a moment. When they reopened, his gaze was stern and solid. “If you tell Josh what happened, you might lose him. You might lose a boyfriend--yes, one you cared deeply for, whatever,” he said; he paused to take a deep breath. “I’m getting ready to tell my wife--my wife, who brought my daughter into the world, that I slept with you while filming. If I lose her, I lose out on what we’ve built together all these years--my kid, my house, everything we’ve been involved in. Hell, my career, if she’s angry enough. So who here has more to lose… and who here is trying to be responsible about it?”
It went quiet again, Elijah letting it all sink in. His eyes stung with tears; Sean was right. He knew he was. Yet still, he felt backed into a corner, and felt it wasn’t fair to be. “Who here will be labeled as a ‘home wrecker’, or a ‘slut’?” he asked.
“You’re not a slut, Lij…” Sean said in an exasperated voice.
“I slept with a married man and cheated on my boyfriend to do it. That earns a lot of titles, Sean,” he said. “A lot.”
Sean walked over from the doorway and knelt in front of Elijah. “Baby…” he started, his tone going from frustrated to soft. His hand went to Elijah’s shoulder and kneaded it softly. “I’m sorry, okay? I am. But we can’t lie anymore. We have to tell them, and now, before it all escalates into something we can’t control anymore. Even if you and I don’t end up together…”
Elijah heard the choke in the words, making his own throat hitch. “I… don’t know if I want things to end with you.”
“But you don’t know if you want to end it with Josh, and I understand that. I’m torn up over losing Christine, too.”
Sean was right; he was being the most level-headed. As freely as Elijah spoke of Josh, he’d feel a stab in his side when Sean spoke of his wife. He took Sean’s wrist in his hand and held it tight. “I’ll tell him--tonight. I’ll just think on what I want to say, then go.”
“All right,” Sean said in a whisper. He leaned in closer, his lips closing in. Elijah turned away, however.
“No. Not now,” Elijah said. “We need to do this first.”
Sean nodded solemnly and stood up. “Okay. I guess I’ll go,” he said.
Elijah sighed out a shaky breath and put his fingers in his hair. “Bye,” he murmured. Sean left without another word, his steps slow as he went. At the sound of the door shutting behind him, Elijah irked out a small groan, pained and hollow.
He stood on shaky legs and walked down to the hall. The door to the game room was open; he found Dom sitting on an easy chair reading a comic. He looked up to Elijah and tried to smile. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“No… not really,” Elijah said, his voice distant. “I’m… heading to Josh’s. I’m telling him.”
Dom sat up and swallowed. His hands folded at the knees as he regarded Elijah carefully. “Are you ready for it?”
“No. But I don’t have a choice,” Elijah replied.
“Want me to stay here and wait for you for when you come back? I can do that.”
Elijah felt that he would most definitely need a calm, supportive presence for when he returned. He didn’t know how things would end up, but his predictions were pretty dour. “Yes. Please,” he said with a small nod.
“All right. I will,” Dom said.
“Thanks,” Elijah said; he then turned from the room, walked to the front door and got his jacket.
~*~
More soon, possibly later on today (possibly)! I'm kinda on a roll. :)
~*~
...banner by primula_baggins :)
Title: Undecided (Pt. 7)
Pairing(s): Sean A./Lij, Josh/Lij
Rating: Light NC-17 (no actual sex, but 'descriptions').
Synopsis: Things have to come full circle, and Elijah KNOWS that.
Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING (or anyone), I don't KNOW anything (or anyone), I only WISH I did! Pure fiction from my own mental madnesses.
Previous Parts: H&V-1, A_B-2, H&V-3, Both of us-4, H&V-5 (ending A-B's run, as she wanted me to take over), 6
“What, no extras?”
Dom smiled past the rim of his plain old cream and sugared coffee. “I don’t need half a cow’s worth of whipped cream in my coffee, thanks,” he replied.
“No taste,” Elijah replied, sipping his cinnamon dolce latte. “So…”
“So,” Dom repeated, smacking his lips.
Elijah put his drink down and rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t felt this insecure in a while. Now that he’d told Dom, everything was more open and vulnerable. But being able to talk about it--frankly, with no overbearing Sean or clueless Josh, was liberating in a way. “I’m sorry to put this on you,” Elijah said, breaking the small silence. “I guess I HAVE needed someone to talk to.”
“It’s a’right,” Dom said. “Life was getting boring, anyway. I need a few secrets to keep me on my toes.”
Elijah raised his eyebrows and looked to Dom. “What, for blackmail later?”
“Nooo,” Dom drawled, chuckling. “Just something to buzz in my brain. It’s been boring since leaving New Zealand.”
“Wish it was for me, too. Wish I could’ve come home with everything simple… either I was single, and Sean had to worry about telling his wife so we could be together, or… nothing ever happened in the first place, and I could come home to Josh without any complications.”
Dom sat back and folded his arms. Giving Elijah an inquisitive look, he sighed. “Who… would you choose, if you had to?” he asked.
“That’s…” Elijah started. He paused and let a wry chuckle escape. “Not an easy question to answer. At all.”
“Well… think on it. Who gives you what, and best?”
Questions, questions--all ones that Elijah had gone over in his mind. Over and over… but he hadn’t had the chance to voice them, to anyone. Perhaps it’d clear up some confusion. He stirred his drink and shrugged. “Well, Sean--he’s romantic. Very sweet and cuddly, like a giant teddy bear. He’s lost some weight, and I almost don’t like it. Stupid to say, but… I could just wrap my arms around him and snuggle close, feeling like the most comfortable person in the world.”
“How’s he fuck?” Dom blatantly asked.
Elijah nearly choked on his own saliva with the question. “Dom!“ he hissed, taking a quick look around the nearly-empty shop.
“Well?”
“God,” Elijah groaned, putting his hands to his face. “He’s… Jesus Christ, Dom…”
“C’mon,” Dom urged with a mischievous grin.
“He’s gentle. Sweet… very loving, almost artful about it,” Elijah said, rushing the words to just get them out. “Quiet and soft… I dunno. It’s nice.”
“And what’s Josh got on under his hat?”
Elijah had to chuckle. “Christ…”
“Come ‘ed.”
“Well… he’s not as romantic, that’s for sure. He’ll do some things, sometimes, but he’s not the flowers and candy type of guy.”
“Not many are,” Dom added.
“Well… I like that sort of thing. Our first Valentine’s Day was a disaster,” Elijah recalled. “I went out and got him some flowers and a CD he liked, showed up at his place…”
“And?” Dom urged.
“He just laughed. He couldn’t believe that I’d gone and done that. It was all unspoken, really; we hadn’t made any plans, but I just saw it as some impromptu, fun thing. It was like he never even thought on the day, at all,” Elijah explained solemnly. “He didn’t even get me a card--nothing. He stopped laughing when I tossed the gifts on his doorstep and rushed back to the car.”
Dom sighed, long and low and sipped more coffee. “Sounds rough.”
“Yea… but he did run after me, catching me at the car. He apologized, all stammering and not knowing what to say. He never really knows what to say… that’s kinda his ‘thing’ when it comes to emotional stuff.”
“Well, it’s simple. As much as ‘Irish’ can be a pain in the neck for me, he sounds like he’s done you a’right,” Dom concluded.
“No…” Elijah said, shaking his head a little. “Josh--I know how he is. He CAN be a softie sometimes, emotional… but it’s just not his thing. I’ve understood that from day one. But he is loving and sweet, y’now? He just doesn’t show it as much as Sean…”
“It’s the sex, isn’t it?” Dom interrupted.
Elijah looked to Dom’s cheeky grin and blinked. “Hmm?”
“You can tell by just looking at the guy. Josh is the type that fucks--like really, really fucks… isn’t he?” Dom said in a low tone.
Elijah swallowed, hard. “He… God,” he breathed out. “I’d been so fucking young when we’d met. I always pictured sex--with a guy or girl, didn’t matter… always pictured it as some bed, covered in rose petals and candlelight, whatever the fuck else,” Elijah said. He felt a small shiver run up his spine. “He was my first… ever.”
“Shite,” Dom murmured, smiling wider.
“And… it was good. It was so fucking good. Nothing was gentle or sickeningly sweet. He just took me, hard. And for the longest time… that’s all I wanted. Every time we’d hang out, we’d try to watch a movie, or have a casual night out, whatever. But it never lasted. The movie would get fifteen minutes in, or we’d just get into town… fuck’s sake, we once screwed in the back of his car in the parking lot of a club we’d planned on going to.”
Dom started laughing, almost too loudly. He shushed himself, putting his hand over his mouth. “Oh, how fucked you guys would’ve been if a photographer came up on ya,” he teased.
Elijah felt a blush on his cheeks and couldn’t help from smiling a little. “He’s a damned good lay, I’ll give him that.”
“But Sean is too, right?”
“Yea, in different ways. Sometimes I wish he was a bit rougher, but I like it,” Elijah said. “I just wish I could tell him… er…”
“Hmm?”
Elijah’s grin went more devious. He leaned in close and sighed. “I think his head would spin off if I ever said something like… ‘lick me, suck me, fuck me hard,’”
“Probably,” Dom muttered, staying very still. “Fuck knows I just got hard with you saying that, like that.”
Elijah put his hands over his eyes and chuckled. “Oh fucking hell.”
“S’true,” Dom said with a wink.
“Well… that’s tame, compared to how things are with Josh. He gets me saying shit that has me blushing for weeks. It’s dirty--and I love it.”
“So… we have a romantic, sweet Irish, and a dirty-sex, cool Josh,” Dom said. He bit his lip. “Me, I’d choose Josh.”
“That’s because you’re biased. You’ve never hung out with him.”
“Oh, but I’ve hung out with Sean,” he said, tipping his cup Elijah’s way. “Don’t tell me he doesn’t nag at you sometimes.”
Elijah sighed and shook his head. “Yea, well…”
“Okay then. So we have a romantic, sweet but nag-hag Sean, and a dirty-sex, cool but too cool Josh,” Dom reiterated. “The decision’s right in front of your face.”
“Oh yea?”
“Yup.”
“Who should I choose, oh, Great One?” Elijah sarcastically asked.
“Viggo.”
Elijah let a loud laugh escape; both of them looked around, seeing a few people looking over. Shrinking in his seat a little, Elijah blushed and kept chuckling. “Dom…!”
“Well, he’s a poet--romantic, and you know he’d have you in a minute,” Dom said. “And if those eyes don’t scream ‘Get on my dick and fuck me’, I’ve read everything wrong the last year and a half.”
“Dom… the last thing I need is someone else on my fucking dance card,” Elijah groaned out, still smiling.
“Are you… are you Elijah Wood?”
The voice next to their table made them look up, finding two teenaged girls standing there with wide eyes and nervous smiles. “Um… yea,” Elijah said, swallowing. God, they hadn’t heard anything, had they?
“Oh my… God,” the dark-haired girl said, her voice shaking on the words. Her red-headed friend all but started hopping on the balls of her feet while bring out two slips of paper.
“Can we… can we have your au-autograph?” she stammered.
Elijah smiled graciously and took the papers. He always carried a pen for such things; he took it from his pocket and sighed. “What’s your name?”
“Nadine,” she said.
“Mine’s Isobel!” the other girl said in a squeaky voice. She then looked to Dom and gasped. “Hey… you’re in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ too! I saw you on TV… Pippin, right?”
Elijah winced, but Dom chuckled brightly. “Well… Merry, the other hobbit.”
Once Elijah finished with the autographs, Nadine went over to Dom. “Can you sign it, too?” she asked excitedly.
“Sure,” he said.
Elijah watched with slight dismay; the girls were giving Dom glances, but their eyes had been set on him a LOT more. When Dom finished and gave them a wink, the girls looked reluctant to leave. But they did so, letting Elijah breathe easier. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?” Dom asked.
“Just… the ‘other hobbit’ thing.”
“Oh, Doodle,” Dom sighed out, stretching his arms over his head. “I promise… when you’re all washed-up and I have the biggest career there ever was in Hollywood’s history, I won’t hold it against you.”
Elijah chuckled more; it felt good to do so. He almost didn’t want to leave this place and head home.
~*~
After a promise to watch some crap TV with a nice round of drinks was made, Elijah had Dom drive them back to his place. Their conversation had gone from Elijah’s ‘relationship-s problems’, and straight on into general chit-chat. Once again, it felt good going over fun memories of filming and nights out. He wasn’t thinking of Sean or Josh or…
Now he had to.
“Oh… fuck,” he muttered as Dom pulled into his driveway.
“Well shit,” Dom said, putting the car in park--just behind Sean’s, whose car was right next to Josh’s.
The two of them were standing behind Sean’s car, chatting idly. They both noticed Elijah and Dom’s arrival, looking up to see them sitting in the car. Elijah blinked furiously and looked into his lap, trying hard to control his breathing.
“Look… I’ll just let you go. We can maybe hang out tomorrow--”
“No,” Elijah interrupted. Oh God, the idea of being with the both of them, altogether again, made him feel sick. He knew what he was about to request was selfish; he knew the discomfort Dom himself would be faced with, but… “Please. Please, come with me. I can’t…”
Dom nodded slowly. “Yea, a’right,” he mumbled.
Elijah nodded back and opened the door. He shut it and walked around Sean’s car, putting on his best face. Dom met him halfway as they approached; Elijah was doing his best to read Josh and Sean’s faces, hoping and praying…
Josh didn’t look happy… neither did Sean. “Hey,” Josh said, standing straighter.
“Hey,” Elijah said, holding back the nervousness climbing into his entire body. “How long… have you guys been here?”
“Maybe like, ten minutes,” Josh said with a shrug.
“Hey, Irish,” Dom said, putting on a small smile.
Sean raised his eyebrows and corner-smiled. “Hey back, Dom. What’s up?”
“Not much. We went for coffee… Lij tried making some when I showed up.”
“Oh man,” Sean said, now chuckling a little. “And you drank it?”
Dom chuckled also, nudging Elijah’s arm. He tried smiling, but his eyes fell back on Josh, who looked at Dom with confusion.
Oh… “Um, Josh--this is Dom. He played ‘Merry’ in the film.”
Josh nodded slowly. “Oh… right, okay. You’d mentioned him a few times.”
“Best have mentioned nothing but good,” Dom said with a wink. He extended his hand, which Josh took. Dom shook it and smiled. “Pleased to meet ya.”
“Yea… the same,” Josh replied.
“So… what’s going on? Am I having a party I forgot about?” Elijah said, trying to smile wider.
“Just dropped in, really. Wanted to see what was up,” Sean said.
“Oh. Um, not much. We just had a nice morning out,” Elijah told him. “We were gonna watch some movies or something. You can join us, if you want.”
“No thanks,” Josh abruptly stated, getting his keys out. “I was just gonna see if you wanted to head out or something. Have some lunch, whatever.”
“Oh…” Elijah said. His eyes darted to Sean, who stood expressionless against his car. No. He didn’t. Please God, say he didn’t…
“I’ll see you later… nice meeting you, Dom,” Josh dryly said.
“Yea… the same…”
“Wait,” Elijah said, sidestepping Josh’s car to the driver’s side.
Josh opened his door and sighed. “Yea?”
“You could… come over tonight, maybe. Something.”
“Whatever,” Josh said, now getting into the car. “Hang with your friends if you want to. I’ll keep myself busy.”
Elijah blinked even faster, feeling like he could cry at any second. “Okay. I’ll call you later, though. Okay?”
“Sure,” Josh said.
Elijah stepped back, resigned to watch Josh turn on the car and back out, edging along Dom’s vehicle carefully. Once back out into the road, however, he sped away, moving fast. Elijah watched until the car disappeared around the corner.
Sean told him. He fucking TOLD him…
“Lij…”
“No,” Elijah muttered angrily. Without looking at Dom or Sean, he walked to the house in quick steps and got inside. He knew they’d follow him--at least Sean would--and he didn’t care. He got into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. It was only noon, but… he didn’t care.
Sean soon arrived, of course; he stood in the kitchen doorway and sighed. Elijah heard the front door close, presumably by Dom. Hoping he’d come inside as well, Elijah poured out a drink. “Want one?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I don’t drink this early--neither should you,” Sean said.
Elijah’s nostrils flared, letting hot, angry breath escape. “Dom? Bourbon?” he called loudly.
“Sure… thanks,” he yelled back from the living room.
Sean stepped inside and groaned. “We need to talk, Lij. I’d much rather have you sober for it.”
“Gimmee a break,” Elijah said, now taking both glasses and brushing past Sean to head into the living room. He handed Dom his, who nodded graciously and began sipping.
Sean had turned and stepped back into the doorway, facing the two of them. He put his hands in his pockets, raised his eyebrows and nodded back to the kitchen. Elijah scoffed. “He knows, Sean,” he said, waving to Dom.
Sean’s face paled. “You just… you told him?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yea,” Elijah sighed out, looking away.
The anger rising in Sean’s face made Elijah’s blood boil. The man swallowed hard and looked to Dom. “Dom, I’m sorry--but me and Elijah need to talk.”
Dom went to nod and stood; Elijah, however, held out his hand. “No, you can stay, Dom. It’s all right.”
Sean stepped forth. “It doesn’t matter if he knows anything, Lij. I don’t want to broadcast our business,” Sean said.
“How about… I go read a book… or something?” Dom stammered out, nodding to the hall towards Elijah’s small game room. Elijah gritted his teeth but said nothing as Dom tried to smile his way. He then got up and made his silent retreat, leaving the two of them alone.
There were a few moments of silence as they avoided direct eye contact. Finally, Elijah moaned in frustration and sat on the arm of his couch. ‘So… you told him, huh?” he blurted in question.
Sean frowned, now looking to Elijah with narrowed eyes. “What?”
“Josh. You came out and told him.”
“Lij… for God’s sake, I didn’t. That’s YOUR job--one you have yet to do,” Sean replied.
Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Here we go… the demands, per usual.”
“Demands?” Sean said, his frown growing heavier. “Elijah, how have I been unreasonable here?”
“You just--” Elijah said, stopping abruptly. Deep down, even with his frustration towards the man, Sean wasn’t being unreasonable. He wanted to be honest and not drag this out. The fear Elijah felt, however… “I’m tired. I don’t want to think on it, and I wish everything could just happen the way we want it to, or not. I don’t know, Sean. I just don’t fucking know.”
Sean leaned on the door jamb and crossed his arms. “I hinted, Lij. I asked if he’d talked to you, and I deduced that you hadn’t told him. I’d asked you to tell him, last night--”
“And he wasn’t around, and I’m not gonna tell him over the phone, okay? I don’t see Josh every damned DAY, Sean,” Elijah interrupted angrily.
“Okay… fine. Fine,” Sean said, holding up his hands. “But if you call him tonight, you’re going to have to tell. Because I’m telling Christine when I get home from here. I’d just wanted to touch base with you first.”
Elijah put his bourbon on the table and snagged his cloves from his pocket. He lit one with shaking hands, feeling sicker than before. “Sean… you’re rushing me…”
“Okay, look,” Sean said, his voice stronger than before. “I’ve been the ‘straight man’ in all of this. I’ve stayed strong and convicted in how this needs to be done, because guess what, Lij? We can’t sit here and pretend this isn’t happening--we can’t lie anymore. You know that.”
“But I don’t even know what I want, Sean! I don’t! I mean, yes, I want to be with you, but I want to be with Josh…”
“And you can’t have it that way,” Sean interrupted.
“No, I can’t… and I can’t be pushed to make a decision about it, either!” he almost yelled. He stood up and shook his head, bringing the cigarette to his lips for a long, hard drag. His lips opened, sighing out smoke. “I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to tell.”
“And you think I do?” Sean said. “Can I just be honest with you?”
Elijah threw his hands up and let them drop. “May as well.”
Sean closed his eyes a moment. When they reopened, his gaze was stern and solid. “If you tell Josh what happened, you might lose him. You might lose a boyfriend--yes, one you cared deeply for, whatever,” he said; he paused to take a deep breath. “I’m getting ready to tell my wife--my wife, who brought my daughter into the world, that I slept with you while filming. If I lose her, I lose out on what we’ve built together all these years--my kid, my house, everything we’ve been involved in. Hell, my career, if she’s angry enough. So who here has more to lose… and who here is trying to be responsible about it?”
It went quiet again, Elijah letting it all sink in. His eyes stung with tears; Sean was right. He knew he was. Yet still, he felt backed into a corner, and felt it wasn’t fair to be. “Who here will be labeled as a ‘home wrecker’, or a ‘slut’?” he asked.
“You’re not a slut, Lij…” Sean said in an exasperated voice.
“I slept with a married man and cheated on my boyfriend to do it. That earns a lot of titles, Sean,” he said. “A lot.”
Sean walked over from the doorway and knelt in front of Elijah. “Baby…” he started, his tone going from frustrated to soft. His hand went to Elijah’s shoulder and kneaded it softly. “I’m sorry, okay? I am. But we can’t lie anymore. We have to tell them, and now, before it all escalates into something we can’t control anymore. Even if you and I don’t end up together…”
Elijah heard the choke in the words, making his own throat hitch. “I… don’t know if I want things to end with you.”
“But you don’t know if you want to end it with Josh, and I understand that. I’m torn up over losing Christine, too.”
Sean was right; he was being the most level-headed. As freely as Elijah spoke of Josh, he’d feel a stab in his side when Sean spoke of his wife. He took Sean’s wrist in his hand and held it tight. “I’ll tell him--tonight. I’ll just think on what I want to say, then go.”
“All right,” Sean said in a whisper. He leaned in closer, his lips closing in. Elijah turned away, however.
“No. Not now,” Elijah said. “We need to do this first.”
Sean nodded solemnly and stood up. “Okay. I guess I’ll go,” he said.
Elijah sighed out a shaky breath and put his fingers in his hair. “Bye,” he murmured. Sean left without another word, his steps slow as he went. At the sound of the door shutting behind him, Elijah irked out a small groan, pained and hollow.
He stood on shaky legs and walked down to the hall. The door to the game room was open; he found Dom sitting on an easy chair reading a comic. He looked up to Elijah and tried to smile. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“No… not really,” Elijah said, his voice distant. “I’m… heading to Josh’s. I’m telling him.”
Dom sat up and swallowed. His hands folded at the knees as he regarded Elijah carefully. “Are you ready for it?”
“No. But I don’t have a choice,” Elijah replied.
“Want me to stay here and wait for you for when you come back? I can do that.”
Elijah felt that he would most definitely need a calm, supportive presence for when he returned. He didn’t know how things would end up, but his predictions were pretty dour. “Yes. Please,” he said with a small nod.
“All right. I will,” Dom said.
“Thanks,” Elijah said; he then turned from the room, walked to the front door and got his jacket.
~*~
More soon, possibly later on today (possibly)! I'm kinda on a roll. :)
~*~