Fic: RunAway - LV. Follow
Series info, summary, warnings, and disclaimer
Previous chapters
Chapter Title: Follow
Chapter Summary: Billy does a bit of digging
In mid-December, after Viggo had left for Germany, Billy gave in to his curiosity and looked up the theatres around the city Viggo’s plane ticket said. There were two large, professional venues and three smaller, local ones. One of them was doing Shakespeare, so Billy ruled it out, remembering that Viggo had said he hadn’t heard of the play before. After a bit of tedious digging involving an online translator, Billy found the webpage for the production details of each of the other theatres.
There was a name that caught Billy’s eye. He swallowed and clicked the link for the actor’s biography, but the page was almost blank. Billy copied the short text into the translator, but it only returned a garbled “Nick Bernard is a new addition to this theatre and is performing in his third production here.”
Billy shook his head. The details fit, but he couldn’t say for sure if this was the name he’d been looking for. He almost laughed. What had he been hoping for, a full biography of Dom Monaghan that included Lord of the Rings and Lost and the rest of his filmography?
At the website for the other theatre, there was one other actor that made Billy pause, an Irishman by the name of Evan McCully. Yes, Dom’s surname was Irish, but Dom himself was English, and the name Nick was a hell of a lot closer to Dominic anyway.
What Billy really wanted was pictures, proof that one of these men was Dom and that Viggo had known that he was still alive. He sat back in his chair and stared at the computer screen. This was stupid, insane, such a long shot. Billy rubbed his forehead and tried to think logically. It probably wasn’t Dominic in those plays. Billy was sure Viggo did have friends in Germany, and equally sure that Viggo wouldn’t lie to him.
Which was to say that Billy was actually quite suspicious of Viggo, because Viggo was tricksy and cunning and always hid behind his crazy hippy façade, which Billy knew wasn’t quite real.
“Oh fucking hell,” Billy groaned. He was frustrated with himself, for already putting too much faith in this wild, outside chance that this one man in Germany with a similar name to Dom’s was, in fact, Dom.
This is stupid, he thought, even as he clicked around and bought the necessary tickets. I was doing fine before this stupid fucking play showed up. But then the plane tickets were bought, a cheap hotel was booked, and Billy was faced with the theatre’s online ticket sales.
Billy took a breath and clicked. What harm would come from it if Nick Bernard turned out to be a random German actor? Billy just couldn’t let go of the chance.
***
Three days after his birthday, Viggo said goodbye and took a cab to the airport. Dom continued his run at the theatre, and the play was extended for another week due to good reviews. Dom was happy about it, but a local journalist had asked for an interview last night and it scared Dom a bit, the knowledge that he was making a name for himself here.
He hadn’t done the interview, of course, much to the reporter’s annoyance.
Dom wondered whether it was worth it to do what he loved if it carried the risk of him being found out. It was an argument he’d had with himself before, when he lived with Hans, but Dom was no closer now to finding an answer than he was then.
Maybe when this production ends I’ll take a break, Dom thought. But if he took a break, he wouldn’t get paid, and without money, he couldn’t keep his flat, something he was proud to finally have in the first place. Dom didn’t really have much of a choice. The odd jobs at which he worked part-time never lasted long, and they didn’t pay well either. The truth was, he had to act because it was the only thing he was good at.
Not for the first time that evening, Dom wished for beer in his fridge, or something stronger.
He was being pulled along in his career by his will to survive, and Dom could feel that weakening with every depressing night. It wasn’t that acting had lost its luster, it was that he was frightened by the threat of fame. Dom wondered how long it would last this time. He was already forming plans in the back of his mind to run again.
Next: Return
Previous chapters
Chapter Title: Follow
Chapter Summary: Billy does a bit of digging
In mid-December, after Viggo had left for Germany, Billy gave in to his curiosity and looked up the theatres around the city Viggo’s plane ticket said. There were two large, professional venues and three smaller, local ones. One of them was doing Shakespeare, so Billy ruled it out, remembering that Viggo had said he hadn’t heard of the play before. After a bit of tedious digging involving an online translator, Billy found the webpage for the production details of each of the other theatres.
There was a name that caught Billy’s eye. He swallowed and clicked the link for the actor’s biography, but the page was almost blank. Billy copied the short text into the translator, but it only returned a garbled “Nick Bernard is a new addition to this theatre and is performing in his third production here.”
Billy shook his head. The details fit, but he couldn’t say for sure if this was the name he’d been looking for. He almost laughed. What had he been hoping for, a full biography of Dom Monaghan that included Lord of the Rings and Lost and the rest of his filmography?
At the website for the other theatre, there was one other actor that made Billy pause, an Irishman by the name of Evan McCully. Yes, Dom’s surname was Irish, but Dom himself was English, and the name Nick was a hell of a lot closer to Dominic anyway.
What Billy really wanted was pictures, proof that one of these men was Dom and that Viggo had known that he was still alive. He sat back in his chair and stared at the computer screen. This was stupid, insane, such a long shot. Billy rubbed his forehead and tried to think logically. It probably wasn’t Dominic in those plays. Billy was sure Viggo did have friends in Germany, and equally sure that Viggo wouldn’t lie to him.
Which was to say that Billy was actually quite suspicious of Viggo, because Viggo was tricksy and cunning and always hid behind his crazy hippy façade, which Billy knew wasn’t quite real.
“Oh fucking hell,” Billy groaned. He was frustrated with himself, for already putting too much faith in this wild, outside chance that this one man in Germany with a similar name to Dom’s was, in fact, Dom.
This is stupid, he thought, even as he clicked around and bought the necessary tickets. I was doing fine before this stupid fucking play showed up. But then the plane tickets were bought, a cheap hotel was booked, and Billy was faced with the theatre’s online ticket sales.
Billy took a breath and clicked. What harm would come from it if Nick Bernard turned out to be a random German actor? Billy just couldn’t let go of the chance.
***
Three days after his birthday, Viggo said goodbye and took a cab to the airport. Dom continued his run at the theatre, and the play was extended for another week due to good reviews. Dom was happy about it, but a local journalist had asked for an interview last night and it scared Dom a bit, the knowledge that he was making a name for himself here.
He hadn’t done the interview, of course, much to the reporter’s annoyance.
Dom wondered whether it was worth it to do what he loved if it carried the risk of him being found out. It was an argument he’d had with himself before, when he lived with Hans, but Dom was no closer now to finding an answer than he was then.
Maybe when this production ends I’ll take a break, Dom thought. But if he took a break, he wouldn’t get paid, and without money, he couldn’t keep his flat, something he was proud to finally have in the first place. Dom didn’t really have much of a choice. The odd jobs at which he worked part-time never lasted long, and they didn’t pay well either. The truth was, he had to act because it was the only thing he was good at.
Not for the first time that evening, Dom wished for beer in his fridge, or something stronger.
He was being pulled along in his career by his will to survive, and Dom could feel that weakening with every depressing night. It wasn’t that acting had lost its luster, it was that he was frightened by the threat of fame. Dom wondered how long it would last this time. He was already forming plans in the back of his mind to run again.
Next: Return