LOTR RPS: Smack the Dog 21
Chapter 21: Could’a, Would’a, Should’a
*
Sean awoke with a splitting headache, which, of course, was not a new sensation by any means. However, he could honestly say this was the first time he had awoken to having Karl Urban sprawled out naked beside him, his tanned arm lying across his stomach as though to ensure that the blonde didn’t disappear without his knowledge. Karl’s face was buried in a pillow, his steady breathing indicating that the younger man was quite happy with the whole lie in consideration.
Sean looked at him for a very very long time. His head throbbed in agony. Two empty bottles of whisky stood as a bizarre decoration on the side table to the bed, the accompanying glasses having been abandoned some time earlier. Softly groaning against the persistent attacks in his head, Sean carefully moved Karl’s arm to the side and slid out of the bed.
His legs failed him. Bastards.
Having at least thick rugs to thank Karl for if nothing else, Sean had private words with his limbs and shakily stood up. He could feel the dried remains of last nights ‘adventures’ down the inside of his thighs and across his stomach, which was not the best thing to start thinking about if he wanted to keep hold of the control over his stomach. Not that the shaky control he possessed at the moment was likely to last long either. His stomach currently felt like he had swallowed two live goldfish who were now making themselves known in the deep pits of his stomach.
The evening, at least, hadn’t been as bad as Sean had feared. Once Karl had managed to get out of his ‘superior’ outlook on life, his attention and consideration for his partner was actually quite reasonable as long as the whole living room incident was kept to the back of their minds. And, good god, did Sean want to keep it to the back of his mind. There was probably going to be no dispute from Karl over this feeling; the younger man having gone very quiet when he had realised exactly what Sean was like as a willing partner, emphasising more the little horrors of the living room.
Personally Sean doubted whether he would be able to look at the sofa again without wincing.
Sean stumbled towards the bathroom, and switched on the lights, shutting the door smartly behind him and fumbling with the lock. One quick glance in the mirror told him all he needed to know about his general well-being, and therefore the mirror was abandoned for more suitable and friendly companionship. The shower was eyed thoughtfully, but then again the bathroom was not that far from the main bedroom. The sound of falling water, no matter how appealing, could only ensure that the younger man was roused from his slumbers and fresh new embarrassments and discomfort was viewed.
There was another brief consideration, weighing the possible discomfort and embarrassment against the fact that Karl’s come was still attempting to cling to him like ivy on an oak.
The shower won.
Thankfully, it was also reasonably easy to work out. Sean had stayed in several hotels where the shower was top of the range and therefore working out how to switch the bloody thing on often led to several cold minutes investigating, coupled with a large amount of swearing. Ensuring that the hot water was also on at the same time was another factor that had to be taken into account. However, Karl was most obliging in this respect. His shower switched on with the minimum of fuss, and hot water was also eager to attend.
Having stepped into the shower, Sean’s attention was suddenly drawn by a little rubber duck sitting beside the soap. Instead of the usual yellow colouration, it was decked in camouflage military green and brown. Sean raised an eyebrow. Even in the bath Karl apparently had issues.
Swiping Karl’s body-wash as absent-mindedly as he normally swiped Orlando’s, the first steps towards a slightly squeaky clean Sean was undertaken, all in accompaniment to a most appealing fruity smell. Not that he felt particularly clean, however. Short of colonic irrigation, there were some places fruity shower-gel just couldn’t reach, and he was certainly not going to do that particular torment anytime soon.
He shivered despite the heat of the shower, and nicked some of Karl’s shampoo, which was an Australian type he had never seen before. Not that he was normally attentive when it came to shampoos, it had to be said. However, considering the rest of the possible thoughts that he could feel running through the back of his mind, shampoos were going to be one of the least problematic. Said Australian shampoo had an aroma of flowers and maintained that it contained herbs. Herbs? Was he supposed to be cooked?
The military commando duck watched him solemnly as he lathered his hair, dunking it underneath the water in order to rinse the vast quantities of foam off.
The sound of the water conspired against him, however.
” So there you are,” remarked Karl to the side of him, and then had to grab hold of Sean’s arm as the blonde, startled, jumped backwards and slipped. The surprise on Karl’s face would have been comical to behold had Sean’s heart been slower than a Grand Prix race.
Sean glared at him, soap bubbles still clinging valiantly to his chest.
“ You okay?” Karl was remarkably hesitant, and also now slightly wet from being splashed. Sean removed his arm from Karl’s loose grip and ducked himself back under the shower, trying to ignore his immediate desire to yell at him.
“ I thought I had locked the door,” he said finally and pointedly. Karl shook his head, and jerked a thumb back at the door.
“ It needs fixing,” he said helpfully. Sean stared at him a little more, then, when Karl failed to take the hint, re-dunked his head back under the water to clear the rest of the soap which was still using him as a home. When he opened his eyes again Karl had moved to pick up the duck and play with it in his hands. The duck stared back at him balefully.
“ Exactly where did you get that duck from anyway?” Sean decided not to let Mr Urban ruin any more of his days and continued with his shower. Karl grinned.
” Dave decided I needed one.”
“ Dave’s an odd man,” commented Sean, deciding to keep clear of the topic of Mr Wenham as much as possible. Karl nodded thoughtfully, his eyes still on the duck as though it held important memories for him. Sean knew that Karl was probably the sort to like a lot of rubber but that was ridiculous.
“ You okay?” Karl asked suddenly. The blonde elected not to answer this, busying himself with even more of the shower-gel.
” Sean?” Karl was obviously not accepting silence as a suitable answer.
Sean sighed to himself, and glanced back at him grudgingly, having a suspicion Commando Duck might find itself a new mission and get thrown at him if he continued to ignore Karl’s queries.
“ What?” It wasn’t really a snap. However, there were definite aspects of frustration showing.
” Whilst emptying me of shower supplies, are you actually going to speak to me today or just grunt like a Neanderthal?” Karl was watching him like a hawk, or at least what a hawk might do if it was unlucky enough to find itself in such a situation. Sean sighed heavily again, and soaped his arm. It didn’t really need further soaping, but there was no way he was going to start touching any more intimate areas whilst certain people were watching.
“ What d’you want me to say, Karl?” he said tiredly. Karl shrugged, a little frown crossing his face.
” An acknowledgement that I actually spoke to you would be nice. I asked if you were okay,”
“ I’m not broken if that’s what you mean,” Sean’s arm was definitely going to be the cleanest in the known universe. Karl frowned harder.
“ No. It wasn’t. But then I suppose I didn’t pay you to talk,” he said with obvious annoyance. Sean paused and looked at him, hard. After a moment, Karl seemed to get extremely uncomfortable and started paying more attention to Private Duck. Sean waited a few moments, then continued with his shower. He seemed to spend far too much time ‘continuing’ with his showers. It would be nice, just once, to just have one.
“ I’ll be keeping our agreement, if that’s what’s worrying you,” said Karl finally, still not looking up from the duck. Sean felt another moment of relief fill him. The worry that Karl would conveniently ‘forget’ their contract had been an annoying query in his mind, especially at *that* point in the evening where Sean couldn’t be any less than involved.
It was odd. Something that definitely felt so good at the time definitely felt so very wrong in the clear light of day. Despite Viggo’s assurances that Sean should try and do whatever it took to make sure it wasn’t a hardship, Sean seriously doubted whether Viggo would be anything but upset that this particular… *thing* had happened.
Best to keep it to himself. At least for now.
He eyed Karl, who was obviously waiting for a response, and nodded.
“ Thanks,” the word was so obviously genuine that Karl smiled.
“ I’ll go get some clothes on and some breakfast cooking if you want,”
Sean felt his stomach roll at the mere thought. “ Possibly some coffee instead?” he queried.
“ With a side order of painkillers?”
Sean smiled, despite himself.
” Yeah,”
*
Karl had let him escape soon after breakfast had been completed. Sean had managed to keep the talk down to a minimum during this time, but he was still conscious of the younger man’s eyes on him reflectively, trying to work out Sean’s mood and reactions. Well, good luck to him. Sean had more than enough inside knowledge on the Trials and Tribulations of Sean’s mind, and he was having extreme difficulty pinning it down himself. It seemed to range from depression to indifference to relief and back to depression.
Viggo’s house was empty when Sean had finally stumbled through the door. It was hardly as though he hadn’t been expecting it but it hurt nevertheless. The sheer emptiness of the rooms seemed to faintly accuse him in some way, not that he wanted to think about it. Viggo was the poet, not him. Words were enough trouble as it was without trying to get some sort of deep meaning behind it all.
He was about to sit in his usual spot on the sofa when he hesitated, choosing another chair instead. Oh god. A phobia on sofas would be the icing on the cake. The flying was bad enough, but at least that was vaguely understandable.
Still silence. Not even the tick-tock of a clock broke this absence of noise. No car seemed to drive past, no bird wished to sing.
The television was promptly turned on and turned up, regardless of what trash was actually on it.
There was a brief pause. Misery might like company, but even it would be hard pressed to sit through an episode of this particular soap. The channel was flicked to the news, which managed to get him even more depressed than he was before.
Sean growled to himself and, for a lack of anything else to do, stalked into the kitchen to check supplies. There wasn’t a chance his stomach would contemplate any food at all at this point, but at least it was something to do whilst the news presenter still droned in the background about some disaster. Half an ear was awaiting the sport to come on. Sport tended to be less complicated.
The kitchen check was completed in record time, and Sean even bothered to clean the counters twice, regardless of how well Orlando would have cleaned them previously. He almost smashed a mug as the sound of a key entering the front door sounded, followed by the creak of the door opening.
Sean had a sudden flash from a movie he had been forced to sit through:… the phone call came from within the house…
“ Sean?”
Viggo. Sean managed to keep the gasp of relief secret, and put down the mug with a shaky hand. There was a few slow footsteps in the hallway, pausing at the entrance to the kitchen.
” Vig. Hi.” Was that his voice? The sheer casualness of Sean’s speech surprised even him. Viggo watched him with an unreadable expression in his eyes, simply waiting at the door of the kitchen. Sean shrugged, mostly to himself, and turned back to face the counter again. “ Fancy a coffee?”
“ No.” Viggo finally spoke.
“ Tea?”
“ No, thanks. Sean-“
“ Beer? It might be a little warm though..,”
“ Sean, I don’t want a drink.” There was no mistaking the order that the whole drink conversation should be axed as soon as possible. Sean stilled his hand on the mug again and simply waited. Obviously Viggo was expecting him to turn back round, which would have been more natural, certainly. However, looking out the kitchen window just seemed to call to him.
“ Then what do you want?” Sean asked finally. “ I thought you weren’t supposed to be back for another couple of hours,”
” I wasn’t. I pleaded a headache.” Viggo’s tone was also confirming that this was a topic he did not really want to focus on. Sean raised an eyebrow, and finally glanced over his shoulder.
“ They let you off for a headache?”
Viggo smiled slightly, and shrugged. “ When was the last time I pleaded anything?” he queried. Sean had to concede the point. Viggo was the type of man who would continue with multiple injuries and his foot missing. The older man took another step into the kitchen but cautiously. Sean had a sudden feeling he was being treated like a dangerous animal.
” Did you want any painkillers, then?” Sean rubbed the kitchen counter with a cloth to give himself something to do. Viggo sighed.
” Are you being deliberately simple-minded today? I don’t have a headache. I wanted to see how you were.” There was a brief pause. “ I thought you might need the company, even if you don’t want it.”
Rubbing of the counter stopped. Sean paused, and turned round, the small of his back resting against the counter as though in defensive measures.
“ I’m fine, Vig,” he said, and his voice sounded level and calm even to him. However, obviously it wasn’t convincing enough. A slight frown was visible on Viggo’s face.
“ Really? Because there’s a lot of people who wouldn’t have been,” Oh, that slow drawl was so close to hitting sensitive spots that Sean really didn’t want to be hit. Sean shrugged indifferently and would have turned back to his already cleaned counter when Viggo took the last two steps and caught hold of his arm, stopping the movement. Sean stared at Viggo’s hand as though trying to work out exactly where it had come from, then moved up to Viggo who was watching him expectantly.
Expectantly.
Good god, what was he waiting for? Sean felt a sudden cold shiver run down his back.
Viggo seemed to pick up on his distress as he released Sean’s arm and slid his hand round Sean’s shoulders instead. Sean allowed himself to be gently pulled into an embrace, and reminded himself that he was allowed to respond to Viggo without any bargains or deals or anything else going on in the background. He almost sagged in relief. If Viggo was shocked by the sudden hug into him, he didn’t show it. But then again, he was an expert in ensuring things didn’t show. It was probably a habit by now.
Sean was aware that Viggo was murmuring something comfortingly in his ear, and couldn’t work out whether it was a foreign language as it sounded or whether his mind was just not focused enough to be able to make sense of it all.
Shit… was he shaking as well? That’s really what all ‘perfectly okay’ people do in their spare time, Sean told himself fiercely.
Trying to regain control over his body which had decided to betray him yet again, Sean attempted to untangle himself from Viggo’s hold. This was easier said than done. Viggo finally released him when it was obvious that Sean wasn’t taking no for an answer, although his arm was still draped over Sean’s shoulder like a scarf.
“ You sure you don’t want a coffee-“ Sean caught the look Viggo gave him and answered his own question. “ Okay. Fine.”
“ Sean, come with me. We have to talk,” Very neutral, very controlled. All in all, bloody scary in fact.
“ Oh no we don’t.” Sean was very firm about this. All through his life, his marriages, people had wanted to ‘talk’ to him. And ‘talking’ never was actually talking, it was always some sort of cover for hysterics or anger or misery or whatever else he had managed to do to someone whilst not realising it. Nope, talking could be put for tomorrow, thank you so very much.
Viggo eyed him thoughtfully. “ Okay, how about just watching a DVD with me?” he tried. “ Just sitting on the sofa-“
Sean’s whole body stiffened. He knew it had done it, knew his muscles had managed to clench in a way that even a Viggo and Orli special had never achieved, and more the point knew that it had not escaped Viggo’s attention. Well, that was taken for granted. Atoms would have difficulty getting their private lives past Viggo.
Coughing, Sean tried desperately to steer the conversation away from No Man’s Land. However, Viggo obviously had a map.
” Unless he forced you to sit through two hours of Barney on DVD,” Viggo said softly. “ I assume that reaction was against the sofa itself?”
Yep, it sounded as daft as he had imagined. Sean shrugged, then realised this was the worst thing he could have done. Denial, that was the key. Viggo’s eyes had narrowed.
“ Right. Bedroom.”
Sean stared at him, suddenly scared. “ What? What have I done?”
Viggo paused, taking in the terrified expression on Sean’s face. His eyes narrowed again. Sean could see the glimmers of absolute fury in those grey-blue eyes and this really wasn’t helping him at all. Perhaps he could borrow some of the set’s armour for future sessions. *If*, of course, he managed to get out of this alive.
However, the fury wasn’t even remotely attached to Sean.
“ I will kill him,” growled Viggo, and Sean got nervous all over again. That wasn’t an expression. That was a promise. And one thing Sean really really knew would not assist the situation was Karl’s blood smeared over their hands.
He laid a hand on Viggo’s chest, trying to calm him down. God, even Viggo was shaking now. It was obviously catching. Or possibly they had to do something about the heating.
” Viggo, calm down. It’s okay,” Sean soothed. Viggo just looked at him with the expression that told him that it would take more than a few soothing words to get him through this.
“ It’s okay is it?” Viggo’s voice was clipped. Sean nodded, a firm expression set on his own face. Viggo made a thoughtful noise. “ I see. Would you like to come and sit on the sofa and repeat that?”
Sean wouldn’t. Damn the sofa! Damn all sofas!
“ Look, Vig…,” he struggled to find the next words. Finally he took hold of the older man’s hand and gave a little tug out of the kitchen. Perhaps a chat in the bedroom was a better idea than shouting surrounded by crockery. All of which, of course, was breakable. Not to mention the kitchen knives…
Viggo, thankfully, seemed more than willing to follow him. Sean sighed a silent sigh of relief as the bedroom was reached and he was pulled onto the bed by Viggo without even a pause to take off their shoes. When Viggo stopped caring about the house rules, that was definitely a time to be scared.
However, Sean was more than happy to just rest in Viggo’s embrace, feeling the strong arms surround him. Ah, blissful protection once again. It suddenly didn’t matter that Karl had touched him, kissed him, attempted to thrust into him so hard that it seemed he was trying to spear a kidney… that Karl’s seed was still inside him…
Sean shivered again and buried his face into Viggo’s shirt a little more. Okay, maybe it did. And, the traitorous little voice in the back of his mind whispered to him, what would happen when Viggo discovered it was more than Karl who had been experimental in where he placed his cock? When Viggo discovered that Karl would need the shower every bit as much as Sean?
Shivering was obviously becoming a standard feature. Thankfully Viggo had not gone through with his threat of talking, simply finding solace in holding the blonde to him, soothing out all but the most persistent of trembles.
However, paradise never lasted for long.
” I didn’t realise.” That was Viggo’s voice, but it wasn’t somehow. His usual neutral tones were gone completely, left with a ragged mish-mash of emotions. Suddenly Sean desperately wanted the old Viggo back.
“ It’s okay, Vig,” Sean soothed him as best he could. In fact, this was much better. He could focus on Viggo and not focus on the guilty feelings mixing at the back of his mind. Bonus. However, Viggo was obviously not going to be easy. His neutrality might have metaphorically left the building, but certainly his authority was in full force.
“ It is not alright, Sean. I knew damn well what I sent you in there for, and I put to the back of my mind what you would have to do.”
” Excuse me? I was the one who walked through the door, Viggo. You didn’t put a gun to my head!” Sean protested, having to moving his head slightly back to avoid muffling his own argument in the shirt.
” I should have protected you.” Viggo growled. Obviously a nice game of guilt tennis was occurring. Sean had a sudden desire to shout ‘you cannot be serious!’, but the moment of humour was gone in a mere second.
“ Vig, it’s fine. I’m back, it’s done. Nothing to say further on the subject.”
There was a long pause. “ And the subject of Orlando?” Viggo’s voice was even more ragged than before. “ I am not letting him into that house, Sean. I can’t. It’ll crucify him.”
” So I was the tester was I?” Sean found his voice remarkably quiet and unnaturally high. Viggo pulled him closer, almost smothering him accidentally. Sean felt a kiss land on his forehead, and calmed down slightly.
“ Of course not. But how can I let him go off when you’re like this? You’re stronger than he is.”
Sean, who remembered the flashes of anger on Orli’s face and his obvious experience, wasn’t as sure. However, this was obviously not the best point in time to comment on that.
“ Karl has said he wouldn’t touch him,” he said softly. Viggo laughed bitterly.
“ Has he,” It wasn’t even a question.
“ I believe him.” Sean said softly. There was a pause from Viggo, who shook his head.
” Whether he touches him or not, he would have done the damage.”
Sean took his own moment to consider this, then frowned. He moved a little further away from the shirt, and tried to eye him. It was remarkably difficult from this position, even if Viggo wasn’t trying to avoid it.
“ What exactly do you mean by that?” Sean asked slowly, not sure if Viggo was going to answer him. Probably another one of their little sexual secrets to keep away from him, he thought grimly. There was a heavy sigh from Viggo.
“ Orli has a self-confidence issue,” he said, obviously reluctantly. “ He wants to know he belongs, that he won’t be left. It’s one of the main reasons why he started having problems with you, although I’m sure your general sulking might have helped,” There was a faint grin. Sean smiled back, not saying anything. This was more offered information than he had had in the whole time together. A word might jinx it.
“ He got a little better once I’d marked him, given him a permanent reminder that he was mine and I’d come after him. A tattoo wouldn’t do for Orlando. Had to be personal. His blood over my hand, that sort of thing.”
“ Nice.” Sean resisted the urge to shudder again. Viggo shrugged.
” It’s not my thing either, but it meant a lot to him and when he started messing about with Karl, well, I just thought…,” he trailed off, and shook his head. “ It would have worked too if it hadn’t been for Karl.”
Scooby Doo suddenly flashed into Sean’s mind for some unknown reason, but he managed to shake out said cartoon canine. He pulled Viggo a little closer to him.
“ Then why, if he was that bad, did you two get me into this relationship?” he murmured. “ It must have been clear that Orli would go funny,”
“ He hasn’t gone ‘funny’ as you call it,” Viggo’s voice was back to good old Viggo, the hint of irritation at the back of his words. “ He had a moment of panic, and he got through it. You were a joint decision. I know you’ll just sniff at that, but you were. Don’t let Karl blind you, Sean. Orlando’s not my slave. Sometimes I wonder whether I’m his, but then everyone’s eyes just fall on who’s holding the whip, don’t they?”
Sean wisely kept his mouth shut. Viggo’s irritation made another exit, to be replaced by this odd Viggo, the one who was guilty and repentant, who obviously thought about things well after they had been done. Sean didn’t want to think how often that particular side of Viggo was repressed.
After a few moments pause, Sean felt it was safe to speak again.
“ So this evening would do what to him?” Sean felt sudden panic rise in himself. Orli having unknown factors involved was not something he would understand enough to be able to help, he knew that. Got three ex-wives to contest to the fact that good old Sean Bean was just not great at the whole emotional support stuff, regardless of the situation.
Viggo sighed heavily again.
“ Heaven knows. Probably ruin his sense of belonging, make him feel like he’s a traitor. And you’re now dying to ask me why I said yes in the first place, aren’t you?”
Sean had hoped it wasn’t showing in his eyes. Fat chance. He shrugged a little, and nuzzled against the warmth protection of Viggo’s chest.
“ You had no choice, Vig. I know that. You know that. Orlando knows that.” Sean paused. “ Where is Orli, by the way?”
“ He’s not outside the bedroom door and that’s the main thing.” Viggo pressed Sean against him again, the chances of suffocation even greater. “ The hobbits are dropping him off after they finish shooting. Dom said he’d keep an eye on him.” Viggo broke off and shook his head again. “ I can’t let him go, Sean.” The man sounded wretched. “ For god’s sake, I would never have let you into the damn place either if I’d paid more attention to what it would do to you.”
“ I was going to sleep with a man I hated.” Sean’s voice was almost full of fascination. “ What on earth did you think it was going to do to me?”
“ Hated?” There was an element of surprise in Viggo’s voice.
“ He’s not on my Christmas card list, certainly. If it wasn’t for Dave, I’d probably have-“ Sean suddenly realised what he had said and slammed his mouth shut. Viggo, however, was more attentive than he had wanted. Sean’s human pillow suddenly had a shift in comfort dramatically as Viggo moved to stare down at him properly.
” Dave?!” It was not quite the level of Lady Bracknell with the handbag, but there were certainly elements. Sean cringed against him. Realising he wasn’t helping Sean’s mental health, Viggo tried to settle back down, although the blonde could feel the outrage racing through him.
“ He was just there to check everything was okay. That Karl didn’t .. well, go crazy or anything,” Sean was swift to add here, editing the more sexual parts. As far as anyone was going to know, Dave sat in a chair and acted as a censor. “ Or to make sure I didn’t go crazy, for that matter,” he added. “ I have to admit to being somewhat rude at the start.”
” Did you,” came Viggo’s response, although there was a hint of a dry smile. “ Good boy,”
Sean gave a sigh of relief. However, Viggo’s next question hit him hard as though struck by a ton of bricks. Or a ton of anything for that matter.
“ So what did he ask you to do?” The question was asked so off-handedly, as though Viggo had just considered it. However, the sheer tension in Viggo himself told of a completely different story.
Oh crap, thought Sean. This is the bit where I find out how dead Karl really is going to get.
However, the sound of Orlando’s premature arrival suddenly made other issues come to the top of the argument pile.
*
“ What do you mean I’m not going?”
Orlando looked at Viggo in a manner that suggested he wasn’t entirely sure what emotion to be feeling at this point. Sean could definitely see relief in there, but was surprised about the fear and almost shocked at the anger, which was currently making itself known in a dramatic fashion. Viggo folded his arms.
“ Exactly that. You are not going, Orlando.” His voice had returned to the usual tone Viggo normally used whenever things were done. It wasn’t so much a conversation as a series of commands. Sean sat on the chair that Viggo normally occupied and watched quietly. Orli shot Sean a look almost in query, then turned back to Viggo who was staring at him impassively.
“ So what’s happened?” the young man queried, then brightened slightly. “ Have we got the photographs back?”
Viggo shook his head. Orlando un-brightened, and a stubborn look crossed his face.
” Then what? We had a deal, Viggo. We do this, we get the photos back, everyone’s happy. It’s the only practical solution.”
Sean’s eyes slid to Viggo, who was remaining calm in the face of Orli aggression. A little too calm. Ordinarily this sort of tone would not have got past the second word. Then again, ordinarily it was not Orlando who used this particular tone in the first place.
The younger man was also well aware of the oddness of Viggo’s behaviour and frowned again. Sean was treated to another look, this time curious, before Orlando turned back to Viggo.
“ Has something happened to Sean?” Incredibly, Orli’s voice was lowered as though he didn’t really want for Sean to hear them, despite him being only a few feet away. Viggo’s expression was entirely unreadable.
” We’ll discuss Sean later.”
Great. He was a topic now. Possibly to be discussed over cheese and biscuits. Sean shifted himself to be more comfortable on the chair and watched the mini argument in front of him. Orli was almost screaming agitation in his posture, as tense as a bow string about to fire. However, Viggo really wasn’t reacting. At all. The best he had done was the slight raise of the eyebrow at the start, and that was it.
Sean had sympathy with Orlando. He knew damn well that there was no satisfaction in being agitated against what was essentially a human statue.
“ Do we have an alternative plan?” Orlando asked finally, having calmed himself down slightly. Viggo paused for a moment then regretfully shook his head. Orli shook his head. “ Then me going is the *only* thing we can do! I’m sure I can get back the whole lot if I …,”
The younger man was wise to trail off. Viggo’s neutrality had been replaced by something that spoke only of anger. The human statue had turned into the human tornado.
“ Viggo,” warned Sean, who didn’t like the expression any more than Orlando did. He could see the indecision in Orli, wanting to acquiesce to Viggo’s demands but equally wanting to have his say.
” Orlando, even if you did go to him tonight - which, incidentally, is a big if - you would not start putting yourself in danger.” There was absolutely no leeway in Viggo’s voice. Orlando hesitated.
“ He’s not a murderer,” Orli now sounded nervous, more uncertain of arguing. Viggo shook his head irritably.
” That’s not the point. Don’t do anything stupid. At all.” Ice cold eyes stared at Orlando. “ Do you understand me?”
“ You think I do stupid things?” Orlando’s voice was soft and almost tearful. Viggo paused.
Sucker, thought Sean.
“ Of course not. I just don’t want you hurt.” The older man said as though matter of fact. Orli watched him a little longer, then turned and glanced towards Sean again, assessingly. Sean returned his gaze warily, having a horrible feeling he was going to get dragged into an argument yet again.
However, Orli’s eyes were soft as well, trying to see exactly how okay the blonde was. Sean had already vowed not to scare the young man more than was absolutely necessary and his own body appeared to be okay with this, his nervous trembling having apparently trembled enough against the firm chest of Viggo. Oh good god he was turning into a romance novel…
“ Then why didn’t you do this before Sean went?” Orlando asked. Sean’s eyes slid to Viggo as though in question as well. Unsurprisingly, Viggo did not look happy. At all.
“ There were some factors I did not know before Sean went. If this were reversed, I would be stopping him at this point in time.” Viggo was steady. A little too steady.
“ Orlando has a point, Vig.” Sean said softly. “ what are we doing to get back those photographs, if not going through with it?”
He was treated to a stare that made him feel even smaller than before. However, Orlando looked almost pleased by the interruption.
“ Viggo, I know you don’t want to see me hurt, but I gotta do this. You understand?” the young man asked softly.
“ You sound as though you’re desperate to go,” Viggo sounded even less pleased about this. Orlando shook his head, and studied the floor for a few minutes before looking up.
“ I know you don’t want me to go, and I know that if you wanted to you could make sure I didn’t. But, Vig,” Orlando broke off here for a moment, searching for the right words. “ I have to go. There’s no other way.”
“ Your argument is becoming repetitive,” Viggo’s eyes were so narrowed it was remarkable he could see anything at all. Sean was aware of the ice-cold glare aiming in his direction for a moment, then Viggo sighed heavily. “ I assume, even if I banned you, you would still go,”
Orlando hesitated. Sean could see the indecision in the young man’s eyes, desperate to please Viggo but desperate to go through with it. Obedience was a feel it in the bones thing when it came to Viggo. The older man watched him for a moment, then shook his head.
” Fine. But if you feel uncomfortable at any point, I want you out of there. No arguments. No nothing. Just go.”
Orlando nodded slowly.
“ I guess I’d better scrub up then, eh?” he said quietly.
“ I suppose.” Viggo’s short answer. Sean shuddered.
Karl would never realise exactly how much he had taken.
*
Sean awoke with a splitting headache, which, of course, was not a new sensation by any means. However, he could honestly say this was the first time he had awoken to having Karl Urban sprawled out naked beside him, his tanned arm lying across his stomach as though to ensure that the blonde didn’t disappear without his knowledge. Karl’s face was buried in a pillow, his steady breathing indicating that the younger man was quite happy with the whole lie in consideration.
Sean looked at him for a very very long time. His head throbbed in agony. Two empty bottles of whisky stood as a bizarre decoration on the side table to the bed, the accompanying glasses having been abandoned some time earlier. Softly groaning against the persistent attacks in his head, Sean carefully moved Karl’s arm to the side and slid out of the bed.
His legs failed him. Bastards.
Having at least thick rugs to thank Karl for if nothing else, Sean had private words with his limbs and shakily stood up. He could feel the dried remains of last nights ‘adventures’ down the inside of his thighs and across his stomach, which was not the best thing to start thinking about if he wanted to keep hold of the control over his stomach. Not that the shaky control he possessed at the moment was likely to last long either. His stomach currently felt like he had swallowed two live goldfish who were now making themselves known in the deep pits of his stomach.
The evening, at least, hadn’t been as bad as Sean had feared. Once Karl had managed to get out of his ‘superior’ outlook on life, his attention and consideration for his partner was actually quite reasonable as long as the whole living room incident was kept to the back of their minds. And, good god, did Sean want to keep it to the back of his mind. There was probably going to be no dispute from Karl over this feeling; the younger man having gone very quiet when he had realised exactly what Sean was like as a willing partner, emphasising more the little horrors of the living room.
Personally Sean doubted whether he would be able to look at the sofa again without wincing.
Sean stumbled towards the bathroom, and switched on the lights, shutting the door smartly behind him and fumbling with the lock. One quick glance in the mirror told him all he needed to know about his general well-being, and therefore the mirror was abandoned for more suitable and friendly companionship. The shower was eyed thoughtfully, but then again the bathroom was not that far from the main bedroom. The sound of falling water, no matter how appealing, could only ensure that the younger man was roused from his slumbers and fresh new embarrassments and discomfort was viewed.
There was another brief consideration, weighing the possible discomfort and embarrassment against the fact that Karl’s come was still attempting to cling to him like ivy on an oak.
The shower won.
Thankfully, it was also reasonably easy to work out. Sean had stayed in several hotels where the shower was top of the range and therefore working out how to switch the bloody thing on often led to several cold minutes investigating, coupled with a large amount of swearing. Ensuring that the hot water was also on at the same time was another factor that had to be taken into account. However, Karl was most obliging in this respect. His shower switched on with the minimum of fuss, and hot water was also eager to attend.
Having stepped into the shower, Sean’s attention was suddenly drawn by a little rubber duck sitting beside the soap. Instead of the usual yellow colouration, it was decked in camouflage military green and brown. Sean raised an eyebrow. Even in the bath Karl apparently had issues.
Swiping Karl’s body-wash as absent-mindedly as he normally swiped Orlando’s, the first steps towards a slightly squeaky clean Sean was undertaken, all in accompaniment to a most appealing fruity smell. Not that he felt particularly clean, however. Short of colonic irrigation, there were some places fruity shower-gel just couldn’t reach, and he was certainly not going to do that particular torment anytime soon.
He shivered despite the heat of the shower, and nicked some of Karl’s shampoo, which was an Australian type he had never seen before. Not that he was normally attentive when it came to shampoos, it had to be said. However, considering the rest of the possible thoughts that he could feel running through the back of his mind, shampoos were going to be one of the least problematic. Said Australian shampoo had an aroma of flowers and maintained that it contained herbs. Herbs? Was he supposed to be cooked?
The military commando duck watched him solemnly as he lathered his hair, dunking it underneath the water in order to rinse the vast quantities of foam off.
The sound of the water conspired against him, however.
” So there you are,” remarked Karl to the side of him, and then had to grab hold of Sean’s arm as the blonde, startled, jumped backwards and slipped. The surprise on Karl’s face would have been comical to behold had Sean’s heart been slower than a Grand Prix race.
Sean glared at him, soap bubbles still clinging valiantly to his chest.
“ You okay?” Karl was remarkably hesitant, and also now slightly wet from being splashed. Sean removed his arm from Karl’s loose grip and ducked himself back under the shower, trying to ignore his immediate desire to yell at him.
“ I thought I had locked the door,” he said finally and pointedly. Karl shook his head, and jerked a thumb back at the door.
“ It needs fixing,” he said helpfully. Sean stared at him a little more, then, when Karl failed to take the hint, re-dunked his head back under the water to clear the rest of the soap which was still using him as a home. When he opened his eyes again Karl had moved to pick up the duck and play with it in his hands. The duck stared back at him balefully.
“ Exactly where did you get that duck from anyway?” Sean decided not to let Mr Urban ruin any more of his days and continued with his shower. Karl grinned.
” Dave decided I needed one.”
“ Dave’s an odd man,” commented Sean, deciding to keep clear of the topic of Mr Wenham as much as possible. Karl nodded thoughtfully, his eyes still on the duck as though it held important memories for him. Sean knew that Karl was probably the sort to like a lot of rubber but that was ridiculous.
“ You okay?” Karl asked suddenly. The blonde elected not to answer this, busying himself with even more of the shower-gel.
” Sean?” Karl was obviously not accepting silence as a suitable answer.
Sean sighed to himself, and glanced back at him grudgingly, having a suspicion Commando Duck might find itself a new mission and get thrown at him if he continued to ignore Karl’s queries.
“ What?” It wasn’t really a snap. However, there were definite aspects of frustration showing.
” Whilst emptying me of shower supplies, are you actually going to speak to me today or just grunt like a Neanderthal?” Karl was watching him like a hawk, or at least what a hawk might do if it was unlucky enough to find itself in such a situation. Sean sighed heavily again, and soaped his arm. It didn’t really need further soaping, but there was no way he was going to start touching any more intimate areas whilst certain people were watching.
“ What d’you want me to say, Karl?” he said tiredly. Karl shrugged, a little frown crossing his face.
” An acknowledgement that I actually spoke to you would be nice. I asked if you were okay,”
“ I’m not broken if that’s what you mean,” Sean’s arm was definitely going to be the cleanest in the known universe. Karl frowned harder.
“ No. It wasn’t. But then I suppose I didn’t pay you to talk,” he said with obvious annoyance. Sean paused and looked at him, hard. After a moment, Karl seemed to get extremely uncomfortable and started paying more attention to Private Duck. Sean waited a few moments, then continued with his shower. He seemed to spend far too much time ‘continuing’ with his showers. It would be nice, just once, to just have one.
“ I’ll be keeping our agreement, if that’s what’s worrying you,” said Karl finally, still not looking up from the duck. Sean felt another moment of relief fill him. The worry that Karl would conveniently ‘forget’ their contract had been an annoying query in his mind, especially at *that* point in the evening where Sean couldn’t be any less than involved.
It was odd. Something that definitely felt so good at the time definitely felt so very wrong in the clear light of day. Despite Viggo’s assurances that Sean should try and do whatever it took to make sure it wasn’t a hardship, Sean seriously doubted whether Viggo would be anything but upset that this particular… *thing* had happened.
Best to keep it to himself. At least for now.
He eyed Karl, who was obviously waiting for a response, and nodded.
“ Thanks,” the word was so obviously genuine that Karl smiled.
“ I’ll go get some clothes on and some breakfast cooking if you want,”
Sean felt his stomach roll at the mere thought. “ Possibly some coffee instead?” he queried.
“ With a side order of painkillers?”
Sean smiled, despite himself.
” Yeah,”
*
Karl had let him escape soon after breakfast had been completed. Sean had managed to keep the talk down to a minimum during this time, but he was still conscious of the younger man’s eyes on him reflectively, trying to work out Sean’s mood and reactions. Well, good luck to him. Sean had more than enough inside knowledge on the Trials and Tribulations of Sean’s mind, and he was having extreme difficulty pinning it down himself. It seemed to range from depression to indifference to relief and back to depression.
Viggo’s house was empty when Sean had finally stumbled through the door. It was hardly as though he hadn’t been expecting it but it hurt nevertheless. The sheer emptiness of the rooms seemed to faintly accuse him in some way, not that he wanted to think about it. Viggo was the poet, not him. Words were enough trouble as it was without trying to get some sort of deep meaning behind it all.
He was about to sit in his usual spot on the sofa when he hesitated, choosing another chair instead. Oh god. A phobia on sofas would be the icing on the cake. The flying was bad enough, but at least that was vaguely understandable.
Still silence. Not even the tick-tock of a clock broke this absence of noise. No car seemed to drive past, no bird wished to sing.
The television was promptly turned on and turned up, regardless of what trash was actually on it.
There was a brief pause. Misery might like company, but even it would be hard pressed to sit through an episode of this particular soap. The channel was flicked to the news, which managed to get him even more depressed than he was before.
Sean growled to himself and, for a lack of anything else to do, stalked into the kitchen to check supplies. There wasn’t a chance his stomach would contemplate any food at all at this point, but at least it was something to do whilst the news presenter still droned in the background about some disaster. Half an ear was awaiting the sport to come on. Sport tended to be less complicated.
The kitchen check was completed in record time, and Sean even bothered to clean the counters twice, regardless of how well Orlando would have cleaned them previously. He almost smashed a mug as the sound of a key entering the front door sounded, followed by the creak of the door opening.
Sean had a sudden flash from a movie he had been forced to sit through:… the phone call came from within the house…
“ Sean?”
Viggo. Sean managed to keep the gasp of relief secret, and put down the mug with a shaky hand. There was a few slow footsteps in the hallway, pausing at the entrance to the kitchen.
” Vig. Hi.” Was that his voice? The sheer casualness of Sean’s speech surprised even him. Viggo watched him with an unreadable expression in his eyes, simply waiting at the door of the kitchen. Sean shrugged, mostly to himself, and turned back to face the counter again. “ Fancy a coffee?”
“ No.” Viggo finally spoke.
“ Tea?”
“ No, thanks. Sean-“
“ Beer? It might be a little warm though..,”
“ Sean, I don’t want a drink.” There was no mistaking the order that the whole drink conversation should be axed as soon as possible. Sean stilled his hand on the mug again and simply waited. Obviously Viggo was expecting him to turn back round, which would have been more natural, certainly. However, looking out the kitchen window just seemed to call to him.
“ Then what do you want?” Sean asked finally. “ I thought you weren’t supposed to be back for another couple of hours,”
” I wasn’t. I pleaded a headache.” Viggo’s tone was also confirming that this was a topic he did not really want to focus on. Sean raised an eyebrow, and finally glanced over his shoulder.
“ They let you off for a headache?”
Viggo smiled slightly, and shrugged. “ When was the last time I pleaded anything?” he queried. Sean had to concede the point. Viggo was the type of man who would continue with multiple injuries and his foot missing. The older man took another step into the kitchen but cautiously. Sean had a sudden feeling he was being treated like a dangerous animal.
” Did you want any painkillers, then?” Sean rubbed the kitchen counter with a cloth to give himself something to do. Viggo sighed.
” Are you being deliberately simple-minded today? I don’t have a headache. I wanted to see how you were.” There was a brief pause. “ I thought you might need the company, even if you don’t want it.”
Rubbing of the counter stopped. Sean paused, and turned round, the small of his back resting against the counter as though in defensive measures.
“ I’m fine, Vig,” he said, and his voice sounded level and calm even to him. However, obviously it wasn’t convincing enough. A slight frown was visible on Viggo’s face.
“ Really? Because there’s a lot of people who wouldn’t have been,” Oh, that slow drawl was so close to hitting sensitive spots that Sean really didn’t want to be hit. Sean shrugged indifferently and would have turned back to his already cleaned counter when Viggo took the last two steps and caught hold of his arm, stopping the movement. Sean stared at Viggo’s hand as though trying to work out exactly where it had come from, then moved up to Viggo who was watching him expectantly.
Expectantly.
Good god, what was he waiting for? Sean felt a sudden cold shiver run down his back.
Viggo seemed to pick up on his distress as he released Sean’s arm and slid his hand round Sean’s shoulders instead. Sean allowed himself to be gently pulled into an embrace, and reminded himself that he was allowed to respond to Viggo without any bargains or deals or anything else going on in the background. He almost sagged in relief. If Viggo was shocked by the sudden hug into him, he didn’t show it. But then again, he was an expert in ensuring things didn’t show. It was probably a habit by now.
Sean was aware that Viggo was murmuring something comfortingly in his ear, and couldn’t work out whether it was a foreign language as it sounded or whether his mind was just not focused enough to be able to make sense of it all.
Shit… was he shaking as well? That’s really what all ‘perfectly okay’ people do in their spare time, Sean told himself fiercely.
Trying to regain control over his body which had decided to betray him yet again, Sean attempted to untangle himself from Viggo’s hold. This was easier said than done. Viggo finally released him when it was obvious that Sean wasn’t taking no for an answer, although his arm was still draped over Sean’s shoulder like a scarf.
“ You sure you don’t want a coffee-“ Sean caught the look Viggo gave him and answered his own question. “ Okay. Fine.”
“ Sean, come with me. We have to talk,” Very neutral, very controlled. All in all, bloody scary in fact.
“ Oh no we don’t.” Sean was very firm about this. All through his life, his marriages, people had wanted to ‘talk’ to him. And ‘talking’ never was actually talking, it was always some sort of cover for hysterics or anger or misery or whatever else he had managed to do to someone whilst not realising it. Nope, talking could be put for tomorrow, thank you so very much.
Viggo eyed him thoughtfully. “ Okay, how about just watching a DVD with me?” he tried. “ Just sitting on the sofa-“
Sean’s whole body stiffened. He knew it had done it, knew his muscles had managed to clench in a way that even a Viggo and Orli special had never achieved, and more the point knew that it had not escaped Viggo’s attention. Well, that was taken for granted. Atoms would have difficulty getting their private lives past Viggo.
Coughing, Sean tried desperately to steer the conversation away from No Man’s Land. However, Viggo obviously had a map.
” Unless he forced you to sit through two hours of Barney on DVD,” Viggo said softly. “ I assume that reaction was against the sofa itself?”
Yep, it sounded as daft as he had imagined. Sean shrugged, then realised this was the worst thing he could have done. Denial, that was the key. Viggo’s eyes had narrowed.
“ Right. Bedroom.”
Sean stared at him, suddenly scared. “ What? What have I done?”
Viggo paused, taking in the terrified expression on Sean’s face. His eyes narrowed again. Sean could see the glimmers of absolute fury in those grey-blue eyes and this really wasn’t helping him at all. Perhaps he could borrow some of the set’s armour for future sessions. *If*, of course, he managed to get out of this alive.
However, the fury wasn’t even remotely attached to Sean.
“ I will kill him,” growled Viggo, and Sean got nervous all over again. That wasn’t an expression. That was a promise. And one thing Sean really really knew would not assist the situation was Karl’s blood smeared over their hands.
He laid a hand on Viggo’s chest, trying to calm him down. God, even Viggo was shaking now. It was obviously catching. Or possibly they had to do something about the heating.
” Viggo, calm down. It’s okay,” Sean soothed. Viggo just looked at him with the expression that told him that it would take more than a few soothing words to get him through this.
“ It’s okay is it?” Viggo’s voice was clipped. Sean nodded, a firm expression set on his own face. Viggo made a thoughtful noise. “ I see. Would you like to come and sit on the sofa and repeat that?”
Sean wouldn’t. Damn the sofa! Damn all sofas!
“ Look, Vig…,” he struggled to find the next words. Finally he took hold of the older man’s hand and gave a little tug out of the kitchen. Perhaps a chat in the bedroom was a better idea than shouting surrounded by crockery. All of which, of course, was breakable. Not to mention the kitchen knives…
Viggo, thankfully, seemed more than willing to follow him. Sean sighed a silent sigh of relief as the bedroom was reached and he was pulled onto the bed by Viggo without even a pause to take off their shoes. When Viggo stopped caring about the house rules, that was definitely a time to be scared.
However, Sean was more than happy to just rest in Viggo’s embrace, feeling the strong arms surround him. Ah, blissful protection once again. It suddenly didn’t matter that Karl had touched him, kissed him, attempted to thrust into him so hard that it seemed he was trying to spear a kidney… that Karl’s seed was still inside him…
Sean shivered again and buried his face into Viggo’s shirt a little more. Okay, maybe it did. And, the traitorous little voice in the back of his mind whispered to him, what would happen when Viggo discovered it was more than Karl who had been experimental in where he placed his cock? When Viggo discovered that Karl would need the shower every bit as much as Sean?
Shivering was obviously becoming a standard feature. Thankfully Viggo had not gone through with his threat of talking, simply finding solace in holding the blonde to him, soothing out all but the most persistent of trembles.
However, paradise never lasted for long.
” I didn’t realise.” That was Viggo’s voice, but it wasn’t somehow. His usual neutral tones were gone completely, left with a ragged mish-mash of emotions. Suddenly Sean desperately wanted the old Viggo back.
“ It’s okay, Vig,” Sean soothed him as best he could. In fact, this was much better. He could focus on Viggo and not focus on the guilty feelings mixing at the back of his mind. Bonus. However, Viggo was obviously not going to be easy. His neutrality might have metaphorically left the building, but certainly his authority was in full force.
“ It is not alright, Sean. I knew damn well what I sent you in there for, and I put to the back of my mind what you would have to do.”
” Excuse me? I was the one who walked through the door, Viggo. You didn’t put a gun to my head!” Sean protested, having to moving his head slightly back to avoid muffling his own argument in the shirt.
” I should have protected you.” Viggo growled. Obviously a nice game of guilt tennis was occurring. Sean had a sudden desire to shout ‘you cannot be serious!’, but the moment of humour was gone in a mere second.
“ Vig, it’s fine. I’m back, it’s done. Nothing to say further on the subject.”
There was a long pause. “ And the subject of Orlando?” Viggo’s voice was even more ragged than before. “ I am not letting him into that house, Sean. I can’t. It’ll crucify him.”
” So I was the tester was I?” Sean found his voice remarkably quiet and unnaturally high. Viggo pulled him closer, almost smothering him accidentally. Sean felt a kiss land on his forehead, and calmed down slightly.
“ Of course not. But how can I let him go off when you’re like this? You’re stronger than he is.”
Sean, who remembered the flashes of anger on Orli’s face and his obvious experience, wasn’t as sure. However, this was obviously not the best point in time to comment on that.
“ Karl has said he wouldn’t touch him,” he said softly. Viggo laughed bitterly.
“ Has he,” It wasn’t even a question.
“ I believe him.” Sean said softly. There was a pause from Viggo, who shook his head.
” Whether he touches him or not, he would have done the damage.”
Sean took his own moment to consider this, then frowned. He moved a little further away from the shirt, and tried to eye him. It was remarkably difficult from this position, even if Viggo wasn’t trying to avoid it.
“ What exactly do you mean by that?” Sean asked slowly, not sure if Viggo was going to answer him. Probably another one of their little sexual secrets to keep away from him, he thought grimly. There was a heavy sigh from Viggo.
“ Orli has a self-confidence issue,” he said, obviously reluctantly. “ He wants to know he belongs, that he won’t be left. It’s one of the main reasons why he started having problems with you, although I’m sure your general sulking might have helped,” There was a faint grin. Sean smiled back, not saying anything. This was more offered information than he had had in the whole time together. A word might jinx it.
“ He got a little better once I’d marked him, given him a permanent reminder that he was mine and I’d come after him. A tattoo wouldn’t do for Orlando. Had to be personal. His blood over my hand, that sort of thing.”
“ Nice.” Sean resisted the urge to shudder again. Viggo shrugged.
” It’s not my thing either, but it meant a lot to him and when he started messing about with Karl, well, I just thought…,” he trailed off, and shook his head. “ It would have worked too if it hadn’t been for Karl.”
Scooby Doo suddenly flashed into Sean’s mind for some unknown reason, but he managed to shake out said cartoon canine. He pulled Viggo a little closer to him.
“ Then why, if he was that bad, did you two get me into this relationship?” he murmured. “ It must have been clear that Orli would go funny,”
“ He hasn’t gone ‘funny’ as you call it,” Viggo’s voice was back to good old Viggo, the hint of irritation at the back of his words. “ He had a moment of panic, and he got through it. You were a joint decision. I know you’ll just sniff at that, but you were. Don’t let Karl blind you, Sean. Orlando’s not my slave. Sometimes I wonder whether I’m his, but then everyone’s eyes just fall on who’s holding the whip, don’t they?”
Sean wisely kept his mouth shut. Viggo’s irritation made another exit, to be replaced by this odd Viggo, the one who was guilty and repentant, who obviously thought about things well after they had been done. Sean didn’t want to think how often that particular side of Viggo was repressed.
After a few moments pause, Sean felt it was safe to speak again.
“ So this evening would do what to him?” Sean felt sudden panic rise in himself. Orli having unknown factors involved was not something he would understand enough to be able to help, he knew that. Got three ex-wives to contest to the fact that good old Sean Bean was just not great at the whole emotional support stuff, regardless of the situation.
Viggo sighed heavily again.
“ Heaven knows. Probably ruin his sense of belonging, make him feel like he’s a traitor. And you’re now dying to ask me why I said yes in the first place, aren’t you?”
Sean had hoped it wasn’t showing in his eyes. Fat chance. He shrugged a little, and nuzzled against the warmth protection of Viggo’s chest.
“ You had no choice, Vig. I know that. You know that. Orlando knows that.” Sean paused. “ Where is Orli, by the way?”
“ He’s not outside the bedroom door and that’s the main thing.” Viggo pressed Sean against him again, the chances of suffocation even greater. “ The hobbits are dropping him off after they finish shooting. Dom said he’d keep an eye on him.” Viggo broke off and shook his head again. “ I can’t let him go, Sean.” The man sounded wretched. “ For god’s sake, I would never have let you into the damn place either if I’d paid more attention to what it would do to you.”
“ I was going to sleep with a man I hated.” Sean’s voice was almost full of fascination. “ What on earth did you think it was going to do to me?”
“ Hated?” There was an element of surprise in Viggo’s voice.
“ He’s not on my Christmas card list, certainly. If it wasn’t for Dave, I’d probably have-“ Sean suddenly realised what he had said and slammed his mouth shut. Viggo, however, was more attentive than he had wanted. Sean’s human pillow suddenly had a shift in comfort dramatically as Viggo moved to stare down at him properly.
” Dave?!” It was not quite the level of Lady Bracknell with the handbag, but there were certainly elements. Sean cringed against him. Realising he wasn’t helping Sean’s mental health, Viggo tried to settle back down, although the blonde could feel the outrage racing through him.
“ He was just there to check everything was okay. That Karl didn’t .. well, go crazy or anything,” Sean was swift to add here, editing the more sexual parts. As far as anyone was going to know, Dave sat in a chair and acted as a censor. “ Or to make sure I didn’t go crazy, for that matter,” he added. “ I have to admit to being somewhat rude at the start.”
” Did you,” came Viggo’s response, although there was a hint of a dry smile. “ Good boy,”
Sean gave a sigh of relief. However, Viggo’s next question hit him hard as though struck by a ton of bricks. Or a ton of anything for that matter.
“ So what did he ask you to do?” The question was asked so off-handedly, as though Viggo had just considered it. However, the sheer tension in Viggo himself told of a completely different story.
Oh crap, thought Sean. This is the bit where I find out how dead Karl really is going to get.
However, the sound of Orlando’s premature arrival suddenly made other issues come to the top of the argument pile.
*
“ What do you mean I’m not going?”
Orlando looked at Viggo in a manner that suggested he wasn’t entirely sure what emotion to be feeling at this point. Sean could definitely see relief in there, but was surprised about the fear and almost shocked at the anger, which was currently making itself known in a dramatic fashion. Viggo folded his arms.
“ Exactly that. You are not going, Orlando.” His voice had returned to the usual tone Viggo normally used whenever things were done. It wasn’t so much a conversation as a series of commands. Sean sat on the chair that Viggo normally occupied and watched quietly. Orli shot Sean a look almost in query, then turned back to Viggo who was staring at him impassively.
“ So what’s happened?” the young man queried, then brightened slightly. “ Have we got the photographs back?”
Viggo shook his head. Orlando un-brightened, and a stubborn look crossed his face.
” Then what? We had a deal, Viggo. We do this, we get the photos back, everyone’s happy. It’s the only practical solution.”
Sean’s eyes slid to Viggo, who was remaining calm in the face of Orli aggression. A little too calm. Ordinarily this sort of tone would not have got past the second word. Then again, ordinarily it was not Orlando who used this particular tone in the first place.
The younger man was also well aware of the oddness of Viggo’s behaviour and frowned again. Sean was treated to another look, this time curious, before Orlando turned back to Viggo.
“ Has something happened to Sean?” Incredibly, Orli’s voice was lowered as though he didn’t really want for Sean to hear them, despite him being only a few feet away. Viggo’s expression was entirely unreadable.
” We’ll discuss Sean later.”
Great. He was a topic now. Possibly to be discussed over cheese and biscuits. Sean shifted himself to be more comfortable on the chair and watched the mini argument in front of him. Orli was almost screaming agitation in his posture, as tense as a bow string about to fire. However, Viggo really wasn’t reacting. At all. The best he had done was the slight raise of the eyebrow at the start, and that was it.
Sean had sympathy with Orlando. He knew damn well that there was no satisfaction in being agitated against what was essentially a human statue.
“ Do we have an alternative plan?” Orlando asked finally, having calmed himself down slightly. Viggo paused for a moment then regretfully shook his head. Orli shook his head. “ Then me going is the *only* thing we can do! I’m sure I can get back the whole lot if I …,”
The younger man was wise to trail off. Viggo’s neutrality had been replaced by something that spoke only of anger. The human statue had turned into the human tornado.
“ Viggo,” warned Sean, who didn’t like the expression any more than Orlando did. He could see the indecision in Orli, wanting to acquiesce to Viggo’s demands but equally wanting to have his say.
” Orlando, even if you did go to him tonight - which, incidentally, is a big if - you would not start putting yourself in danger.” There was absolutely no leeway in Viggo’s voice. Orlando hesitated.
“ He’s not a murderer,” Orli now sounded nervous, more uncertain of arguing. Viggo shook his head irritably.
” That’s not the point. Don’t do anything stupid. At all.” Ice cold eyes stared at Orlando. “ Do you understand me?”
“ You think I do stupid things?” Orlando’s voice was soft and almost tearful. Viggo paused.
Sucker, thought Sean.
“ Of course not. I just don’t want you hurt.” The older man said as though matter of fact. Orli watched him a little longer, then turned and glanced towards Sean again, assessingly. Sean returned his gaze warily, having a horrible feeling he was going to get dragged into an argument yet again.
However, Orli’s eyes were soft as well, trying to see exactly how okay the blonde was. Sean had already vowed not to scare the young man more than was absolutely necessary and his own body appeared to be okay with this, his nervous trembling having apparently trembled enough against the firm chest of Viggo. Oh good god he was turning into a romance novel…
“ Then why didn’t you do this before Sean went?” Orlando asked. Sean’s eyes slid to Viggo as though in question as well. Unsurprisingly, Viggo did not look happy. At all.
“ There were some factors I did not know before Sean went. If this were reversed, I would be stopping him at this point in time.” Viggo was steady. A little too steady.
“ Orlando has a point, Vig.” Sean said softly. “ what are we doing to get back those photographs, if not going through with it?”
He was treated to a stare that made him feel even smaller than before. However, Orlando looked almost pleased by the interruption.
“ Viggo, I know you don’t want to see me hurt, but I gotta do this. You understand?” the young man asked softly.
“ You sound as though you’re desperate to go,” Viggo sounded even less pleased about this. Orlando shook his head, and studied the floor for a few minutes before looking up.
“ I know you don’t want me to go, and I know that if you wanted to you could make sure I didn’t. But, Vig,” Orlando broke off here for a moment, searching for the right words. “ I have to go. There’s no other way.”
“ Your argument is becoming repetitive,” Viggo’s eyes were so narrowed it was remarkable he could see anything at all. Sean was aware of the ice-cold glare aiming in his direction for a moment, then Viggo sighed heavily. “ I assume, even if I banned you, you would still go,”
Orlando hesitated. Sean could see the indecision in the young man’s eyes, desperate to please Viggo but desperate to go through with it. Obedience was a feel it in the bones thing when it came to Viggo. The older man watched him for a moment, then shook his head.
” Fine. But if you feel uncomfortable at any point, I want you out of there. No arguments. No nothing. Just go.”
Orlando nodded slowly.
“ I guess I’d better scrub up then, eh?” he said quietly.
“ I suppose.” Viggo’s short answer. Sean shuddered.
Karl would never realise exactly how much he had taken.