Fic: Vanity Fair (VM/OB) 8/8

[laeglass]

“You may want to reconsider the part where you call me babe and tell me you love me,” Orlando said later when they'd settled in, and Orlando's clothes had found their way into Viggo's closet (and Orlando found out that Viggo owned at least a dozen pair of khaki pants). They had taken a detour to Viggo's place via Orlando's apartment, and Orlando had thrown the essentials into his trolley case, not really caring what came and what stayed, since that was a consideration for a later date.

They were lying on Viggo's bed, facing each other, fully clothed, because both felt that there were a few things that needed to be discussed before taking the next step. Orlando could think of little else besides undressing Viggo and making love to him, but thought that it would only be fair to come clean before any of that.

“And why's that?” Viggo's hand stroked lazily along Orlando's side, a constant, soothing motion that Orlando found more than welcome.

“Because you don't really have the full facts about me, and I'd hate you to go into this blind.”

Viggo sighed and reached out to tug on one of Orlando's curls in gentle reprimand. ”You don’t owe me any explanations. We both had a life before meeting each other.”

”Maybe I don't owe you an explanation, but I do owe you honesty. And the truth is that I have a reputation that is pretty much set. If you choose to be with me that reputation will reflect on you too.” Orlando's dark eyes were serious, and a bit worried.

“I've never cared about what people say about me,” Viggo said. “I'm not going to care what they might have to say about you.”

Orlando tried to smile, but the smile wouldn't stay on his face; he was too nervous for that. “Thanks, I do appreciate that, but I still want to talk about this. Or need to talk about it, rather. My rep is not something that I’m proud of. I didn’t used to care, because I thought that people were going to talk about me in any case, but it matters to me now. Because I don’t want people looking at you and thinking that you’re going out with a slut.”

Viggo tugged harder on the curl of hair to dissuade such thoughts. ”I told you before that I don’t think you’re a slut.”

”But then you don’t know how many guys I’ve fucked. I don’t know, either. But it must be in the dozens, and I can’t even really say who or what or when. And I wasn’t always safe either. So you have to know that they are a lot of people out there who’ve had sex with me and it’s not a great big secret, in the industry circles at least. I’m surprised actually that a sex tape hasn’t popped up yet. God knows there would be enough material.”

He held his breath, waiting for Viggo to ask him to elaborate on 'who', because that was what everyone always seemed curious about; Viggo might want to know if Orlando had been to bed with any of the people that he knew. In all likelihood Viggo would know many of them, at least by name.

”Have you been tested?” Viggo asked after a moment's contemplation instead. Orlando nodded.

”I was, while I was in England. I haven’t had anal sex in months, and I’m pretty sure I did insist on a condom every time for that, at least when I was on the bottom. And I haven't had any oral sex in ages, either. All tests came back negative. So that's a silver lining to this whole mess.”

Viggo nodded, and although he looked serious, he didn't look like he would insist on Orlando going into more detail. “I know this can't have been easy for you. And I appreciate your honesty. But you know, babe, I don’t care about the stories or the potential sex tape or how many guys you have fucked before. That’s all in your past. The only thing I really care about is being the man who's with you now. And see, I didn’t run screaming to the hills.”

The last bit was said teasingly, and Orlando had to grin despite himself.

”I didn’t think you would, really,” Orlando said. ”But I thought you might be disgusted. Not with me maybe but with the fact that I’ve had so many partners. I know I’d be jealous if it were the other way around, which is crazy, because I don't like to think of myself as a hypocrite.”

He thought back on how badly he had reacted to all of Joaquín's taunts, and his cheeks warmed. He, too, seemed to have a possessive streak, but at least he hadn't let it get out of hand.

“And where do you think I'd get off on judging you?” Viggo asked. “Babe, you're beautiful and people would flock to you even if you weren't famous. Add in this industry and it's small wonder that you've attracted so many partners.” He kissed Orlando's lips carefully, keeping it light. “Not to say that I'm not a bit jealous, but I'm mostly just glad you weren't hurt.”

“Well, not too badly, at least,” Orlando said wryly and then sighed. “Wow, it does feel good to get this off my chest. It feels like one mistake after another and before you know it, you have a lifetime of regret. I'm glad I finally got out of that lifestyle. It was doing me no favours.”

Viggo took Orlando's hand in his, and kissed his fingers. “I know just what you mean. Breaking the cycle ain't all that easy but it can be done. I'm really impressed, and glad, that you talked to a psychologist, and that he got you thinking too.” Orlando smiled and said that he was as well. Viggo kissed Orlando's fingers again, not meeting his gaze. “Now that we're talking about our sordid pasts, would you like to hear about mine? Because you sure ain't the only one who has done stuff they've felt bad about afterwards.”

“If you want to talk about it, sure,” Orlando said carefully, because Viggo looked very serious all of a sudden, and wasn't quite meeting his eyes.

“I'm sure you've wondered about Henry, and about me having been married to Exene, when it's quite obvious now that I don't swing that way.” Viggo paused, and entwined their fingers. “When I was growing up, and where I was growing up, being queer just wasn't the thing to do. The queer kids got harassed, beaten up, thrown out of their parents’ houses, and so on. I didn't want to be like that. I didn't want to end up in the hospital with my teeth kicked in, or worse.

“I started going out with Christine because she was a friend of mine first, and we knew each other well. She fell pregnant with Henry at some point and the right thing to do was to get married and start providing for her and the baby. We moved a few times while Henry was still a baby, and I started on my photography career which took off sometime around when Hen was five, or six. And it was becoming clearer and clearer that I was living a lie. That I was queer, and even if I didn't want to be, I couldn't change that. And I am very ashamed to admit that on some working trips I hooked up with other men. And much good did it do to me, because I felt only worse afterwards. Not just because I was cheating but because I thought I should be better than that.”

Viggo's face was pained, and Orlando's heart went out for him. “You're only human, love,” Orlando said, squeezing Viggo's fingers in his. “And I'm sorry you were unhappy.”

“Thanks. It got to the point where I had to tell Exene that our marriage wasn't working. She had no idea what I was talking about so finally I had to lay it bare. I was gay and it wasn't fair to her to keep living a lie. So we got a divorce and I moved away to New York because of my work. She hated me for years, and I can't blame her. And sadly there was a period where I took to booze a little too well. That luckily only lasted a few months.”

“But...you're such good friends now,” Orlando said. “And she seems like a very nice woman.” Her relationship with Viggo seemed somewhat eccentric, to say the least, but from what he had seen, there wasn't any animosity between them now.

“She is. And was. I'm thinking she might have reacted very differently if I just hadn't dropped the bomb on her like that. She'd started talking about another baby and I couldn't take it a day longer. She didn't hate me for being gay, but she did hate me for hurting her and breaking our family. I broke her heart.” Viggo sighed and rubbed at his mouth with his palm.

“I paid all the child support that she asked for and kept in touch with Henry, through postcards and phone calls mostly. Then some three years later Exene called and asked if I'd like to have Henry over during school break. I did, of course, and little by little we started talking again. Exene said she had stopped being angry at me months and months ago, but it still took some time to work up the nerve to call me again.”

“I'm sorry you had to go through that,” Orlando said, and Viggo gave him a kiss as a thanks for his sympathy.

“I was a self-loathing gay man for a really long time, and that's my biggest regret,” Viggo said. “I don't ever regret being married, and least of all having Henry, but it did cause heartbreak to both her and myself. And worst of all, our son. We're on good terms now, and I believe he knows he can count on me whatever happens, but there were some years where we didn't talk, and I'm still really sorry about that all.”

“But everything's okay with you two now?” Orlando asked. He had gathered that Viggo was rather close to his son, but the years spent apart could always have some long-reaching consequences. He tried to imagine having a child and then not being able to be a part of their daily life, and found that he couldn't. That Viggo had somehow carried it through and now had a good relationship with Henry was a hell of a testament to his character.

“Absolutely. Hen said one of the reasons he started to consider UCLA was because I'd moved here a year or so previously. So while it's still a regret, I feel it's something I've been able to fix, to an extent. Not that I've been so successful with any other relationships. I think I told you before that I had some relationships after Exene that were doomed to fail. I wasn't sure what to look for in a partner so I just went along when a new prospect came up. I hope I've learned from those mistakes and become a better man for them.”

“Well, I think you're amazing,” Orlando said honestly, and leaned in to kiss him. Viggo smiled and accepted the kiss. “I didn't have that hard a time accepting being gay, but then it was another time and place, and of course there was no wife and child in the picture. I'm really sorry you had to struggle with it so badly.”

“It's life, I guess. Now that I've met you I can't wallow in those old regrets anymore,” Viggo said. “I didn't exactly mean to fall in love with you, because I thought for the longest time that you wouldn't return it, and that you had got yourself a new man. While you were back in England I tried to move on and forget about you, but it wasn't half as easy as I thought it'd be. That, and I got to talking to Elijah, which gave me some hope that you might feel the same. I just feel very lucky.”

“I'm the lucky one,” Orlando said, and had to blink some moisture from his eyes. “I didn't mean to fall in love, either. I didn't know if I even could. But I do love you and want to be with you.”

Then a thought hit, and his face sobered. It seemed that they were getting a bit ahead of themselves.

“And I want to be with you.” Viggo then frowned at the sudden look of indecision on Orlando's face. “What's wrong, babe?”

Orlando cleared his throat. “I just realised that I have no idea if you're out. In public, I mean. I've never heard anything about boyfriends or such. We're not exactly a low profile couple, you know? Are you going to be okay with being recognised as my partner, or is this something we should discuss first?”

Viggo smiled, a slow smile that spread across his face. “Were you worried that I would want to keep our relationship secret?” he asked. “No, never. I'm proud to be your partner. I'm extremely proud to be the man that you love. And because I think we'll get to the making love part sooner than later.. I know this may sound stupid, or cliché, but I need you to tell me how to make things perfect for you.” Viggo's voice had dropped into a whisper, and Orlando had to whisper back.

“I don't care about perfect. I just want you.”

At that, Viggo couldn't resist pulling him closer, and they rolled over so that Orlando was on top, and kissed for the longest of times, only stopping every now and then to get some air and to look at each other, and then start kissing again.

The kisses and the nearness made Orlando feel hot all over, hot and shivery, and he couldn't help the grinding motion against Viggo's crotch. The growing hardness there made him almost mewl with want, because it had been a really long time since he'd had sex, and it had been forever since he'd had sex, sober, with someone who made him hard with just a kiss; and he'd never, ever, made love with someone he was in love with.

“I don't want to sound like a slut,” he said when they parted for air again, feeling quite out of breath, “but I would really, really like to get o these clothes right now because I feel like I'm going to combust any minute now and I'd hate to do it in my pants.”

“You and me both, babe,” Viggo said, his voice a bit lower than usually, and he let Orlando get up and then stood up, himself, to start unbuttoning his khakis and to pull his shirt off.

Orlando was done first, having worn nothing more than a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and he lay down on the bed and watched Viggo step out of his boxer shorts. He was hairier than Orlando, especially on the chest and legs, and Orlando started to get up from the bed to run his hands all along his body before he caught himself.

“You're beautiful,” he said honestly. “Please get in here before I embarrass myself and launch myself at you from across the room.”

“You can launch anything you like, babe,” Viggo said with a grin, and joined him on the bed. “And you're the beautiful one. Look at you.”

He ran a hand down Orlando's side, the skin smooth and warm to the touch, and couldn't resist leaning in and sucking on the satiny skin he found. Orlando made a purring noise, and arched into the caress. Viggo seemed to be touching him everywhere at once, stroking and gently pinching, raising goose bumps on his exposed skin.

“I don't care who's inside whom, but I want us to make love,” Orlando said candidly. “I want to make you come and feel all the pleasure in the world and know that I made you feel that way.”

Viggo pulled him close and kissed him, and Orlando giggled when Viggo's fingers ghosted across his backside and then took a good grip of his rump only to roll them over, Orlando ending up on top, again. They kissed lightly, and Orlando took the time to know and appreciate the scar on Viggo's lip, feeling it with his tongue until he was sure he got it mapped in his physical memory.

He slid down a little, and ran his fingers through Viggo's chest hair, fascinated; he had a very smooth chest himself and he'd never before been to bed with anyone who could be considered hairy. Viggo's breathing grew a lot more ragged when he leaned down to suck on a nipple, and then bit down lightly.

“Babe, I want to touch you, too,” Viggo implored, and Orlando shook his head.

“This one's on me, love, all right? I want to get to know my lover.”

Viggo nodded, and lay back down, and hissed in a breath as Orlando's tongue flicked into his navel. Orlando's cock bumped into his calf, and Viggo did his best to provide some stimulation with his leg, lest Orlando's interest wane. There seemed to be no threat of that, because the next thing he knew was that Orlando was burrowing his nose into Viggo's pubic hair and massaging the root of Viggo's erection with his chin.

“You're killing me,” Viggo groaned, when Orlando took hold of his shaft and nuzzled it with his cheeks and lips, breathing in the aroused scent of him; the pheromones were driving him crazy. Orlando looked up at him, his pupils dilated and eyes dark with passion, and took the tip of Viggo's cock into his mouth.

Viggo's hands fisted the sheets as if to avoid grasping Orlando's curls when Orlando took him in inch by inch, his tongue sliding along the underside of the shaft, and didn't stop until his nose brushed against Viggo's stomach.

Orlando tightened his lips around the hard shaft as he slid his lips up, and added wet suction when only the head remained inside. He sucked steadily, taking note of Viggo's moans and gasps, more turned on than he could ever remember.. Viggo's breathing was getting more ragged by the minute, and finally Orlando let the shaft slide free from his lips, and got back up to kiss Viggo on the mouth, his hand still stroking his cock.

Viggo took his face in his hands and delved into his mouth, tasting himself in Orlando's tongue and lips, and then tried to flip him over.

“My turn, babe,” he said.

“Naww, I'm not done yet,” Orlando said, but allowed Viggo to manoeuvre them around so that Orlando was on his back.

Viggo looked at him for a moment, smiling, and then kissed him again. Orlando melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Viggo's neck, and pulling him lower to get full body contact. Viggo was hard and heavy against his thigh, and his own cock was throbbing between them, and he thought that he could happily just come from this, grinding against one another and kissing, but for this first time as a couple he wanted a physical joining, not just a shared release, sweet as it might be.

“Love,” he said when Viggo left his mouth to nuzzle on his neck, “I don't mind learning to make love the slow way, but I would really love to have you inside me. Or me inside you. Or whatever you prefer, I'm flexible.”

Viggo brushed Orlando's dishevelled hair back from his face, and gave a little kiss on his lower lip. “I'd love to make love to you, but that's for you to decide. I don't have much experience being on the bottom, but I would happily do that for you.”

“Then I guess this first time I'll be on the bottom, because I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to top right now,” Orlando said honestly.

“Then let's get ready,” Viggo said, and reached for the lube he kept in his drawer. He hesitated a bit over the box of condoms, and then looked over at Orlando. “Just so you know, I got tested, too, while you were visiting your mother. I wanted to be on the clear just in case. All negative. But if it makes you more comfortable I'll put one on.”

Orlando shook his head, his face now wearing a beatific smile.

“I don't want anything between us,” Orlando said. “Not when there's no need.”

Viggo got the tube of lube and came back to Orlando. Orlando pulled his legs up, bent at the knees, to bare his ass to Viggo, and his breath hitched at the simple touch of Viggo's hand running down his backside; the touch was warm, and felt almost electric on his sensitive skin.

Viggo's fingers came to his entrance slick and wet, and started to circle around it, pushing the slickness inside with his fingertips. He bent his head to suck on Orlando's shaft as the first finger found its way inside him, and Orlando groaned at the dual sensation. He wasn't new to having his ass played with, and he voiced his pleasure in increasing moans when Viggo soon added another finger, and brushed against his prostate. He didn't have thick fingers, but they stretched him very agreeably all the same, and Orlando was half afraid he'd come from the sucking and fingering before he ever had the chance to feel Viggo inside him, all the way.

“Love, please, I need you,” he groaned, and could have cried out in relief when Viggo didn't tease him, but pulled out his fingers, and took his mouth off his cock, and arranged himself so that he could lube himself up. Orlando couldn't take his eyes off Viggo's straining shaft, eagerly anticipating the feeling of it sliding inside him.

“Is missionary good?” Viggo asked, his hand on his cock, and Orlando bit his lip to keep from begging him to fuck him.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice throaty, and couldn't withhold a “oh, God, please” when Viggo started to slide inside him. The softened entrance resisted the intrusion, at first, but when Viggo added more pressure the ring of muscle gave in and admitted Orlando's lover inside his body.

It had been such a long time since his last encounter, and the preparation hadn't been as thorough as it perhaps could have been, but Orlando had to fight to stave off his orgasm lest he come before Viggo had even touched bottom. Viggo paused midway in, and kissed his face all over, his breathing so strained that Orlando knew he wasn't alone in feeling that way.

Orlando made his muscles relax and Viggo slid in the last remaining inches, groaning as he did so, and Orlando's legs wrapped around his hips of their own volition. Viggo's hips made a bit of a stutter as Orlando deliberately clenched his muscles, and from that point on it was fighting a losing battle.

Their mouths met and Orlando licked around Viggo's mouth, moaning all the while as Viggo's cock pistoned in and out of him, brushing against his prostate on nearly every thrust, and hoped this could go on forever. The tight coil of arousal in his lower belly was just starting to unravel when Viggo pulled out, and he let out a needy noise at the loss.

“I don't want to come yet, babe,” Viggo said, panting, and rolled over onto his back. “With you on top?”

“God, yeah,” Orlando almost purred, and placed himself on top of Viggo, taking his sweet time to descend on Viggo's cock.. Viggo's hands were tight on his hips by the time he was seated on Viggo's lap, with Viggo's cock buried deep inside him.

This gave him the leverage to move like he wanted, to kiss and touch to his heart's content, and he did both, kissing Viggo everywhere he could reach, stroking Viggo's body everywhere with his fingertips and pinching his nipples which Viggo seemed to like. Viggo's fingers curled around his cock, and Orlando's head fell back, his breath leaving him in a gasp.

He rode Viggo almost leisurely, tilting his hips just so to ensure constant stimulation to his prostate, and was soon trembling with the need for release. Viggo's grasp around his cock tightened on the upward stroke just as Orlando went down all the way, and he passed the point of no return with a whimper that raised goose bumps all over Viggo's body.

Viggo couldn't help bucking up as Orlando's hips stuttered and his sheath clenched around him, his orgasm spilling from his cock all over Viggo's hand and stomach. Viggo released Orlando's cock and brought both hands to his hips, holding him down as he thrust in the tightening channel. Orlando bit his lip hard when Viggo pushed in as deep as he could and came, the brief stab of pain only heightening the sharp peak of his orgasm.

Orlando laid his head on Viggo's shoulder, out of breath, feeling their drumming heartbeats where their chests were pressed together, relishing the feel of Viggo's pulsing shaft inside him. Viggo turned his head with an effort and kissed his temple, whispering words of endearment into his ear.

Orlando finally rose upwards, and had to wince as Viggo's cock slid out of him; the lovemaking had been rather vigorous, and he was sadly out of practice (something he assumed, and hoped, would change soon, and for good).

Orlando returned with a bunch of tissues and handed Viggo some while he cleaned himself. It struck him that were this a one night stand, it would be horribly embarrassing to be caught doing something so vulgarly prosaic, but it didn't really matter now, because Viggo loved him and probably couldn't have cared less whether he had Viggo's come dripping from any orifice. Not when Viggo was looking at him like that.

“Come here,” Viggo said, and Orlando happily settled down to lie next to Viggo, closing his eyes in quiet contentment. Viggo took his face in his hands and waited for Orlando to open his eyes, and when he did, he smiled and slowly brought their mouths together again, showing him without words how he felt.

“I said I didn't need it to be perfect, but that was the closest I've ever felt to anyone in my life,” Orlando said quietly. “I don't even know what to say.”

“Then don't say anything. Just feel.”

And Orlando burrowed back into him, and did just that.

* * *

Epilogue, six months later

“Mmm, that's nice,” Orlando mumbled sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes, and purred in his chest as the lively tongue kept lapping at his entrance. He was lying on the bed with his hands tucked beneath his pillow, partially on his stomach and partially on his side so that his legs were parted, giving his partner easy access to his most tender parts. It was a comfortable position to be in and he'd been drifting in and out of wakefulness for the last thirty minutes, having mumbled some fifteen minutes earlier that he really ought to get out of bed so he wouldn't be late for a shoot; it was unprofessional and undeserving of his work ethic.

It wasn't a new thing to wake up to, he thought, but it was made no less lovely by the frequency or the enthusiasm with which the owner of the tongue appointed himself to the loving task. It wasn't unheard of, either, for them to switch their positions, because Orlando loved giving just as much - if not more - as receiving, determined that Viggo would never have any cause to complain.

He made a small, impatient sound when the tongue left his orifice and his partner resurfaced from under the duvet, his hair mussed, and looking very determined to please. It was a look Orlando adored seeing on his lover, and it never failed to arouse.

“I thought you said you were in a hurry this morning,” Viggo teased, and then rolled Orlando over just enough that he was able to suck Orlando's left nipple into his mouth, teasing it into hardness with his tongue, his hands resting on Orlando's shoulder and elbow ensuring that Orlando wouldn't change position; he liked his partner just where he was, mostly on his stomach with his legs parted.

“Oh, God,” Orlando breathed. “Yeah, I am. The guy I'm working with is a total slave driver. Loves to wear me out. He's constantly riding my ass.”

Viggo chuckled against Orlando's skin, sending little shivers chasing each other down Orlando's nervous system. Orlando moved restlessly, desperate for more contact.

“Speaking as a photographer, you have to have a firm hand dealing with your unruly models,” Viggo said, and turned to the other nipple, giving it the same loving treatment.

“Yeah? I think he just loves giving me a hard time, whether I deserve it or not,” Orlando said, and then spread his thighs more to better accommodate Viggo's bulk, because he knew what was coming, and he couldn't get there fast enough. Viggo noted his enthusiasm, and caressed his flank before reaching for the lube.

“I thought you liked it hard, babe,” Viggo said, and slicked himself with the lube that was never far from where they slept. It was a task Orlando loved to perform, but this time he was forced to just watch and not participate because of his position, something he intended to rectify at the earliest opportunity. Viggo leaned on one arm to support himself, and guided himself to Orlando's hole with his other hand, and started to push in.

Orlando's eyes widened and his lashes fluttered as Viggo slid home through the softened entrance, the initial stretch always on this side of painful, and grinned in anticipation of the pleasure that would soon come. Viggo made a small noise in his throat when he hit bottom, and started to rock in and out of Orlando's body with slow, rolling thrusts.

“Don't worry, love, I think the photographer is going to be late too,” he confided a small while later, and Orlando laughed, and told Viggo to shut up about work while they were making love. Viggo paused mid-thrust, and waited until Orlando turned to look at him, breathless and curious as to why Viggo had stopped just when it was getting good.

“I make love to you every time I take your picture,” Viggo said softly, “and every time I think of you. Not just when you're inside me, or when I'm inside you.”

Orlando's lashes fluttered again and he gave Viggo a stern look over his shoulder; or as stern as he could look with Viggo inside him, and his face flushed with pleasure. All in all, it wasn't too stern a look at all; the loving little smile playing on his lips ruining the effect. “You should stop saying things like that if you don't want your model to get all red-eyed and puffy. Yeah, yeah, love you too. And now, fuck me.”

Viggo huffed laughter and covered Orlando's mouth with his to kiss the pout away, and set out to show him just how much he enjoyed giving Orlando a hard time.

~

The November issue of GQ with Orli Bloom's face on the cover, as photographed by Viggo Mortensen, sold out in all the biggest vendors in only a few days. The cover had him make a heart shape with his hands that he looked through, and he was looking at Viggo, of course, the one who was in his heart in all ways that ever counted; dressed in a fuchsia tuxedo by Tom Ford and giving a whole new meaning to the overused word 'beautiful'.

There was a long article in Advocate where Orlando opened up about past addictions, past relationships and abuse, his career, and current life events. The cover picture was a black and white, with Orlando looking right into the camera lens, with his head slightly turned, his lips parted and wearing a slight smile, shadow and light playing on his cheekbones, with the caption “Boy Lost - And Found.” In time, a previously unknown young artist made an arty rendering of Viggo's photo in the spirit of Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych, and both the photograph and the painting became cult classics that sold for tens of thousands of dollars.

Orlando found out that unwittingly - or not - he'd become the spokesperson for recognising domestic violence in same-sex relationships, which had been previously mostly played down to 'two homos having a tiff' (in Orlando's words) and swept under the rug. He didn't mind that, because he knew that for every slap or pinch he'd taken there were people out there who'd taken two, and were still only contemplating - or dreaming about - leaving and making a new life, while facing the complications and even the dangers of doing so.

Even those who had predicted lengthy rehabs for him - and several slip-ups - were disappointed when he didn't sign up for any of the famous clinics that L.A. had to offer, but kept working and living in the beach house he and Viggo had purchased together, and was often seen running on the beach with their new puppy, sometimes but not always with Viggo chasing them both. (No sex tape surfaced - for all his sexual adventures Orlando still had mostly had his wits about him when engaging with people he didn't know - but the industry gossip mill kept itself busy until everyone realised that they should start looking for the next bad boy, because the Face seemed to have been domesticated to the nth degree and there was nothing new and scandalous forthcoming in that front.)

There was plenty to come forth in the professional front, though, because Orlando and Viggo found that just as they meshed in bed and in all other aspects of their private lives, they meshed on the other sides of the camera, and the Mortensen/Bloom collaboration produced a lot of beautiful, intimate photography, revealing new sides and facets of Orlando and his personality his critics wouldn't even have believed were there - and if some of the photographs that Viggo shot were too intimate to be released to the public or added to Orlando's portfolio, well, no-one really had to know.

And when same-sex marriage finally became legal in California, Orlando and Viggo weren't the first couple to be wed, nor the hundredth, but they did walk down the proverbial aisle a few years down the road, with Henry as Viggo's best man, and Elijah as Orlando's, and Sam's children as the adorable flower boys (even though Samuel forgot to sprinkle the petals, but that didn't really matter, since petals were a bit corny to Orlando's taste anyway, but Viggo had insisted on them). And Orlando would forever take the piss with Andrea that his friend tied the knot well before Orlando and Viggo did.

They worked hard for their happy ending, and Orlando kept his disbelief suspended, and Viggo never loathed anyone in his life again, least of all on the grounds of whom one happens to love.

And this fairytale never really ends...

finis