FIC: "Catalyst" (Part Twenty-Five) (Dave Wenham, Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Orlando Bloom)
Title: "Catalyst" (Part Twenty-Five)
Authors: Brenda (azewewish) & Jo (idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Notes: Click here for full disclaimers and pairings.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four |
Karl frowned when Orlando moved past them without speaking. He glanced towards the other end of the cabin and saw Josh heading the opposite direction, and the frown deepened. "The hell," he mumbled, dragging himself away from Harry and sitting up. "If I didn't know better, I'd say they've been fighting."
"What was your first clue?" Harry asked, reaching for his jeans. He just smiled when Karl glared at him. "I mean, I know your higher brain functions cease after great sex, but..."
Karl shoved at Harry's shoulder, but there was no real ire behind it. "Fuck off." Then his gaze went from Orlando, who was curled up in a chair and gazing out the window, to Josh, who was slouched at the other end of the cabin, also staring out a window. What the fuck had happened?
"Go to Orlando," Harry said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Karl's lips. "I'll see if I can find out what's going on with your other pet."
"Alright." Karl stood and dragged his pants back on and snagged his shirt before making his way to Orlando.
When Karl sat down beside him, Orlando turned his head and blinked. Then he smiled. "Hey," he said, shifting a little to give Karl more room. "Get all that...vampire testosterone or whatever that was out of your system?"
"For now. You looked pretty pissed off."
"What? Oh, that." Orlando tried for nonchalance, but it didn't fool Karl for a minute. "Your new pet and I had a bit of a disagreement, that's all. It'll blow over."
Karl knew, from painful experience, that Orlando wouldn't react well to being pressured. So he just squeezed Orlando's hand. "No one's expecting the two of you to be BFFs in one day. Or at all, really."
"Go for the 'at all'. I'm pretty sure he doesn't particularly like me. Don't worry, though. I'll be on my best behavior with him. Promise."
"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," Karl said, careful to keep it light as he leaned in, shoved playfully at Orlando's shoulder. "You know, there's plenty of me to go around, so don't feel you have to fight for my affections."
Orlando snorted. "What makes you think I'd fight over you?" He twisted around until one leg was draped over Karl's. "I'm glad you found someone who's so, um, accommodating with your other relationships. We all know I wasn't at first."
"That's because I suspect that you were jealous of me for having Harry when you didn't, not because you weren't willing to share me," Karl answered. He didn't make it a joke.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Then, he just looked at Karl for a long moment. "You know I love you both, right? And that I love being your pet?"
"I know. Although I'm beginning to sense there's another 'but' in there somewhere."
"No. Just, y'know, thought it needed to be said given how we're all up in the air right now. What with the making and unmaking and old pet bonds breaking and new ones forming and all that. I just don't want you to think I don't appreciate you or think you don't give me enough of anything."
"I never thought that," Karl countered, feeling a little lost. Something definitely wasn't adding up. He put his hand on Orlando's thigh, sliding down, the touch soothing, second nature. "I've never doubted the love you bear for me or the love that I bear for you. No matter what, I know that I was meant to find you. And not just for Harry."
"I'm glad you did." Resting his hand lightly on top of Karl's, Orlando leaned in to brush his lips along Karl's. "I'm glad you both did, even if I don't always show it."
Something still didn't feel quite right, but he couldn't put a finger on it. And if Orlando wanted to open up to him, he would in his own way. "I don't ever want to take what we have for granted. Doing that almost wrecked me and Harry. I won't let it happen again."
"I don't think we're in any danger of that. Taking each other for granted, I mean." He spared a swift glance out the window again, and when he looked back at Karl, his expression was pensive. "Why didn't you block me?"
"I don't..."
"Earlier. With Harry."
"Oh." A picture was starting to paint itself in Karl's mind. He chose each word with care, hoping he was on the right path. "Because I wanted you to feel what I was doing. I wanted you to feel his surrender to me."
"The two of you usually block me when I'm not going to be involved."
"Is that what's bothering you?" Karl asked softly. "That you weren't?" A shrug was his only answer, and it completed the picture. Fuck. He should have known Orlando would've wondered.
"Orlando, listen to me." He snagged both of Orlando's hands, held them close. Even if Orlando didn't need the contact, he did. "After Harry and I finished, I wanted nothing more than to force you to your knees and mark you as mine."
"Then why...?"
"Because I realized it's not my right," Karl said, gently interrupting him. "If we're going to let nature correct what's between all of us, we have to start somewhere. And while you are mine and I am yours..."
"I'm Harry's first." The words were muffled as Orlando looked down at his hands in Karl's. Then he sighed, and lifted his head. "Next time you decide to get alpha like that, do me a favor and block me before you get started. I'd rather not know what I'm missing out on, alright?"
Karl offered a soft smile in return. "I'm not saying that you and I are never going to get rough or that I won't claim you or dominate you," he continued, searching Orlando's face for any sign of real understanding. It was so important that they all started to figure out what their new roles were with each other. "But I can't claim you like that right after staking my claim on Harry. That would be tantamount to me taking you from him. And if his claim on you is the alpha one, then we need to start paying attention to it."
"I understand." His smile was small and a little shaky, but Karl knew it was an honest effort. "I'm sorry. I just...everything's been one way for so long that I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to be acting right now." When he shifted again, drawing a knee up to his chest and biting his bottom lip, Karl sensed another 'but' coming. "I, ah, should probably tell you, because you're going to hear it anyway."
"Tell me what?"
"I sort of threatened your pet. Well, alright, not really threatened as such, but there was a, um, physical demonstration."
Threatened... Karl barely resisted his initial urge to cross the cabin, check on Josh. Everything was fine. Josh was fine. Harry was taking good care of him, and, if the bond was anything to go by, was doing a pretty good job of calming Josh down. //Harry...//
//He's fine, don't worry. More annoyed than anything else. They'll settle it.//
Reassured, Karl focused his attention back on Orlando. "Then it sounds like a little more than a mild disagreement, wouldn't you say?"
"He doesn't have a high opinion of me," Orlando said, with a rueful smile. "And I guess I don't like being judged and told, well, it's not important."
Karl opened his mouth, then stopped as Orlando's eyes unfocused. Huh. From the looks of things, Harry had stepped in and was giving Orlando an earful. Then Orlando blinked and looked back out the window. "Harry said I should tell you that I was being a dick and that Josh thought I was jealous, so he tried to get me to open up about it. I, ah, didn't take well to that, so I might have said some things, and then he said he pitied me because nothing you two do is ever enough for me."
Karl winced, able to imagine how things had got out of control. "Do you think that?"
"What? No. No. Fuck, Karl, you know that I -"
"Shh, it's alright." Karl brushed a light kiss across Orlando's lips. "I trust you and Josh to get it settled, however it happened. Harry and I won't always be around to mediate when you fight, although I'd like to think that it'll happen less as you both get to know each other. You're a lot alike in many ways." Which still amused Karl to no end when he thought about it.
"If you say so."
"I do." Then he looked closely at Orlando, studied the stiffness of his spine, the way his shoulders hunched a little, and a few more pieces started to fit together. "That's not all that's bothering you, is it?"
At first, Karl thought Orlando was going to ignore him. The silence stretched out until Orlando sighed. "No," he admitted. "And Harry should probably be here for this, too, but..."
Karl gave Orlando a few extra seconds before speaking. "But?"
Orlando's voice was so low when he spoke that Karl wasn't sure he heard right. "I'm scared."
Karl thought he had a pretty good idea why. He pulled Orlando close, wrapped a loving arm around him. Simply held him for a few minutes, savored every precious breath, every precious heartbeat. "Me, too," he said, resting his cheek against Orlando's curls. "The thought of losing you makes me wonder if this really is the right thing. But I trust Liv. And I trust mine and Harry's bonds with you. We won't let anything happen to you, little one. I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that." Orlando turned in Karl's embrace, burrowing closer, one arm wrapped tight around Karl's neck. "And if I die, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your very long life."
"Then I'll have to make doubly sure that you don't," Karl laughed. He could feel Orlando's lips against his throat, and it felt good. They really should do this more often. "You're right, you know. You do need to tell Harry."
"I know."
"And maybe, when we land, I can see about you and me taking a couple of days. Just the two of us."
"Think I'd...I'd love it."
"It'll do us some good. Maybe we can drive up the coast or something." Karl held Orlando even closer. "Besides, I think Josh'll be busy moving into the carriage house, and I don't think he'd welcome me being underfoot while he's decorating it or knocking walls down or whatever it is he wants to do to get it into shape."
"Man, I hope Josh is prepared for some work. Dom and I were out there a few weeks ago, and the place needs some serious help."
"I'll hire someone to come in and do any repairs."
"Better check with him first," Orlando pointed out, working a hand under Karl's shirt until it was splayed against bare skin. "He might have ideas."
"It'll be his house, he's welcome to do with it as he pleases," Karl replied, and nudged at Orlando's lips until they met his for a soft kiss. //Love you.//
//Love you.// Karl was pleased to see that Orlando was smiling when the kiss finally ended.
He raked a thumb across reddened lips. "You always look so beautiful like this."
Orlando flushed and ducked his head, but Karl could tell he was pleased. It was amazing that Orlando still blushed after all this time and over a simple compliment. "You're biased."
"Doesn't mean it's not true," Karl replied, leaning in for another slow kiss.
(To Be Continued)
Authors: Brenda (azewewish) & Jo (idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Notes: Click here for full disclaimers and pairings.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four |
Karl frowned when Orlando moved past them without speaking. He glanced towards the other end of the cabin and saw Josh heading the opposite direction, and the frown deepened. "The hell," he mumbled, dragging himself away from Harry and sitting up. "If I didn't know better, I'd say they've been fighting."
"What was your first clue?" Harry asked, reaching for his jeans. He just smiled when Karl glared at him. "I mean, I know your higher brain functions cease after great sex, but..."
Karl shoved at Harry's shoulder, but there was no real ire behind it. "Fuck off." Then his gaze went from Orlando, who was curled up in a chair and gazing out the window, to Josh, who was slouched at the other end of the cabin, also staring out a window. What the fuck had happened?
"Go to Orlando," Harry said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Karl's lips. "I'll see if I can find out what's going on with your other pet."
"Alright." Karl stood and dragged his pants back on and snagged his shirt before making his way to Orlando.
When Karl sat down beside him, Orlando turned his head and blinked. Then he smiled. "Hey," he said, shifting a little to give Karl more room. "Get all that...vampire testosterone or whatever that was out of your system?"
"For now. You looked pretty pissed off."
"What? Oh, that." Orlando tried for nonchalance, but it didn't fool Karl for a minute. "Your new pet and I had a bit of a disagreement, that's all. It'll blow over."
Karl knew, from painful experience, that Orlando wouldn't react well to being pressured. So he just squeezed Orlando's hand. "No one's expecting the two of you to be BFFs in one day. Or at all, really."
"Go for the 'at all'. I'm pretty sure he doesn't particularly like me. Don't worry, though. I'll be on my best behavior with him. Promise."
"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," Karl said, careful to keep it light as he leaned in, shoved playfully at Orlando's shoulder. "You know, there's plenty of me to go around, so don't feel you have to fight for my affections."
Orlando snorted. "What makes you think I'd fight over you?" He twisted around until one leg was draped over Karl's. "I'm glad you found someone who's so, um, accommodating with your other relationships. We all know I wasn't at first."
"That's because I suspect that you were jealous of me for having Harry when you didn't, not because you weren't willing to share me," Karl answered. He didn't make it a joke.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Then, he just looked at Karl for a long moment. "You know I love you both, right? And that I love being your pet?"
"I know. Although I'm beginning to sense there's another 'but' in there somewhere."
"No. Just, y'know, thought it needed to be said given how we're all up in the air right now. What with the making and unmaking and old pet bonds breaking and new ones forming and all that. I just don't want you to think I don't appreciate you or think you don't give me enough of anything."
"I never thought that," Karl countered, feeling a little lost. Something definitely wasn't adding up. He put his hand on Orlando's thigh, sliding down, the touch soothing, second nature. "I've never doubted the love you bear for me or the love that I bear for you. No matter what, I know that I was meant to find you. And not just for Harry."
"I'm glad you did." Resting his hand lightly on top of Karl's, Orlando leaned in to brush his lips along Karl's. "I'm glad you both did, even if I don't always show it."
Something still didn't feel quite right, but he couldn't put a finger on it. And if Orlando wanted to open up to him, he would in his own way. "I don't ever want to take what we have for granted. Doing that almost wrecked me and Harry. I won't let it happen again."
"I don't think we're in any danger of that. Taking each other for granted, I mean." He spared a swift glance out the window again, and when he looked back at Karl, his expression was pensive. "Why didn't you block me?"
"I don't..."
"Earlier. With Harry."
"Oh." A picture was starting to paint itself in Karl's mind. He chose each word with care, hoping he was on the right path. "Because I wanted you to feel what I was doing. I wanted you to feel his surrender to me."
"The two of you usually block me when I'm not going to be involved."
"Is that what's bothering you?" Karl asked softly. "That you weren't?" A shrug was his only answer, and it completed the picture. Fuck. He should have known Orlando would've wondered.
"Orlando, listen to me." He snagged both of Orlando's hands, held them close. Even if Orlando didn't need the contact, he did. "After Harry and I finished, I wanted nothing more than to force you to your knees and mark you as mine."
"Then why...?"
"Because I realized it's not my right," Karl said, gently interrupting him. "If we're going to let nature correct what's between all of us, we have to start somewhere. And while you are mine and I am yours..."
"I'm Harry's first." The words were muffled as Orlando looked down at his hands in Karl's. Then he sighed, and lifted his head. "Next time you decide to get alpha like that, do me a favor and block me before you get started. I'd rather not know what I'm missing out on, alright?"
Karl offered a soft smile in return. "I'm not saying that you and I are never going to get rough or that I won't claim you or dominate you," he continued, searching Orlando's face for any sign of real understanding. It was so important that they all started to figure out what their new roles were with each other. "But I can't claim you like that right after staking my claim on Harry. That would be tantamount to me taking you from him. And if his claim on you is the alpha one, then we need to start paying attention to it."
"I understand." His smile was small and a little shaky, but Karl knew it was an honest effort. "I'm sorry. I just...everything's been one way for so long that I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to be acting right now." When he shifted again, drawing a knee up to his chest and biting his bottom lip, Karl sensed another 'but' coming. "I, ah, should probably tell you, because you're going to hear it anyway."
"Tell me what?"
"I sort of threatened your pet. Well, alright, not really threatened as such, but there was a, um, physical demonstration."
Threatened... Karl barely resisted his initial urge to cross the cabin, check on Josh. Everything was fine. Josh was fine. Harry was taking good care of him, and, if the bond was anything to go by, was doing a pretty good job of calming Josh down. //Harry...//
//He's fine, don't worry. More annoyed than anything else. They'll settle it.//
Reassured, Karl focused his attention back on Orlando. "Then it sounds like a little more than a mild disagreement, wouldn't you say?"
"He doesn't have a high opinion of me," Orlando said, with a rueful smile. "And I guess I don't like being judged and told, well, it's not important."
Karl opened his mouth, then stopped as Orlando's eyes unfocused. Huh. From the looks of things, Harry had stepped in and was giving Orlando an earful. Then Orlando blinked and looked back out the window. "Harry said I should tell you that I was being a dick and that Josh thought I was jealous, so he tried to get me to open up about it. I, ah, didn't take well to that, so I might have said some things, and then he said he pitied me because nothing you two do is ever enough for me."
Karl winced, able to imagine how things had got out of control. "Do you think that?"
"What? No. No. Fuck, Karl, you know that I -"
"Shh, it's alright." Karl brushed a light kiss across Orlando's lips. "I trust you and Josh to get it settled, however it happened. Harry and I won't always be around to mediate when you fight, although I'd like to think that it'll happen less as you both get to know each other. You're a lot alike in many ways." Which still amused Karl to no end when he thought about it.
"If you say so."
"I do." Then he looked closely at Orlando, studied the stiffness of his spine, the way his shoulders hunched a little, and a few more pieces started to fit together. "That's not all that's bothering you, is it?"
At first, Karl thought Orlando was going to ignore him. The silence stretched out until Orlando sighed. "No," he admitted. "And Harry should probably be here for this, too, but..."
Karl gave Orlando a few extra seconds before speaking. "But?"
Orlando's voice was so low when he spoke that Karl wasn't sure he heard right. "I'm scared."
Karl thought he had a pretty good idea why. He pulled Orlando close, wrapped a loving arm around him. Simply held him for a few minutes, savored every precious breath, every precious heartbeat. "Me, too," he said, resting his cheek against Orlando's curls. "The thought of losing you makes me wonder if this really is the right thing. But I trust Liv. And I trust mine and Harry's bonds with you. We won't let anything happen to you, little one. I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that." Orlando turned in Karl's embrace, burrowing closer, one arm wrapped tight around Karl's neck. "And if I die, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your very long life."
"Then I'll have to make doubly sure that you don't," Karl laughed. He could feel Orlando's lips against his throat, and it felt good. They really should do this more often. "You're right, you know. You do need to tell Harry."
"I know."
"And maybe, when we land, I can see about you and me taking a couple of days. Just the two of us."
"Think I'd...I'd love it."
"It'll do us some good. Maybe we can drive up the coast or something." Karl held Orlando even closer. "Besides, I think Josh'll be busy moving into the carriage house, and I don't think he'd welcome me being underfoot while he's decorating it or knocking walls down or whatever it is he wants to do to get it into shape."
"Man, I hope Josh is prepared for some work. Dom and I were out there a few weeks ago, and the place needs some serious help."
"I'll hire someone to come in and do any repairs."
"Better check with him first," Orlando pointed out, working a hand under Karl's shirt until it was splayed against bare skin. "He might have ideas."
"It'll be his house, he's welcome to do with it as he pleases," Karl replied, and nudged at Orlando's lips until they met his for a soft kiss. //Love you.//
//Love you.// Karl was pleased to see that Orlando was smiling when the kiss finally ended.
He raked a thumb across reddened lips. "You always look so beautiful like this."
Orlando flushed and ducked his head, but Karl could tell he was pleased. It was amazing that Orlando still blushed after all this time and over a simple compliment. "You're biased."
"Doesn't mean it's not true," Karl replied, leaning in for another slow kiss.
(To Be Continued)