Flying High-Chapter Four

[hobbits-r-cute.livejournal.com]

Title: Flying High-Chapter Four
Rating: R for language
Pairing: BB/OB, eventual Monaboyd
Summary: Sean B. talks to Billy, Dom confronts Orlando
Disclaimer: talks of killing one's self, suicide, the boys aren't mine. I'll probably never meet them let alone own them

Beta'd by the ever wonderful, aire_blair

Response to Inspiration 3 Challenge.

Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3

Chapter Four

Dom walked out of Billy’s room and headed toward the waiting room. By now, the cast had reassembled, waiting for word on their friend. Orlando was surrounded by the rest of the Fellowship. Elijah sat right beside him, whispering comforting words.

Liv came to Dom’s side. “How is he, Dom?”

Dom took Liv’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “He’s...he’s alive, but...but.” He wiped away a tear. He hadn’t been aware he was crying. He turned his gaze to Orlando, staring daggers straight at the man who had caused this. “But he’s broken, he looks like someone ripped him to pieces, and in so much...so much pain. Not just his body but...but his spirit as well.” He dropped Liv’s hand and strode towards Orlando. He shoved Viggo to the side, and hauled Orlando to his feet. “You fucking asshole. You did this, you fucking bastard,” he spat as he laid a punch square across Orlando’s face, sending the younger man sprawling to the floor.

Viggo and Sean grabbed Dom and pulled him away as he continued to shout at Orlando.

“Would someone mind cluing us in?” Sean Astin said as he helped Elijah get Orlando to his feet.

Dom shrugged Viggo and Sean off him. “He...he fucking cheated on Billy! Billy found him in bed with a woman, and when he confronted him, this bastard told him he was too clingy, and then to add salt to wound, told him he was fucking annoying to everyone, and ‘didn’t he see that?’ Don’t deny it, Bloom.” Dom sneered the last words at Orlando.

A nurse appeared in the room. “Look, if you all don’t quiet down and drop the foul language, I will ask you all to leave.” She gave them all the look of death before leaving the room.

“So, that’s why,” Sean muttered more to himself than anyone else.

Orlando looked down at his feet. “I meant…it was...I didn’t mean it,” he whispered.

“Wait, what?” Sean said. “That’s...that’s why he left Mexico? You cheated on him? Fuck, Orli. The whole time we were filming Troy?”

Orlando nodded. “After about two weeks in.”

“Who? Why? Why did you invite him down if you were just going to...to fuck around on him?”

“Molly.” Orlando began to rub his arm. “And I don’t know why. She was just there, ya know? I knew he wouldn’t let up until I told him he could visit so I just...just caved. I loved him, I really did, but...but I needed a break.”

Dom started lunging for Orlando again. This time only Viggo stopped him. “Don’t fucking give me that,” Dom seethed.

“I’d be going after you, too, Orli, but I’m...I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. Fucking hell, Orli, what were you thinking? He was fucking happy to be there and you had to go and…and...fuck.” Sean ran his hand through his hair. “Is he sleeping, Dom? I’d...I’d like to see him. Apologize. I should’ve fucking known. He only hung off her every chance he got.”

“Yeah, he’s sleeping, but go on in.” Dom grabbed Sean’s arm as he walked by. “He doesn’t blame you, Sean.”

“He may not, but I...I should’ve seen. Boromir should look out for his hobbits.” Sean quickly left the waiting room and headed towards Billy’s room.

“I’m sorry,” Orlando muttered. “Really. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“I think it’s too late for that,” Dave whispered to Karl.

“Didn’t mean to hurt him? Are you fucking serious? Why don’t you...” Dom moved towards Orlando again only to have Ian place a hand on his shoulder.

“You’d best keep your voice down, lad, before the wrong people hear.” He gestured his head toward the door. “Think of your feelings for William, Dominic, and how well you know him. You know he wouldn’t want this from you, not right now. Not when Margaret needs you,” he whispered, wise as always.

Heading towards the room were Margaret and Fran. Peter whispered something in Margaret’s ear before heading off down the hallway. Margaret and Fran walked slowly into the room, Fran with her arm around Margaret’s shoulder.

When Billy’s sister entered the room, most of the cast stopped what they were doing. Elijah stopped fidgeting, Ian dropped his hand from Dom’s shoulder, the rest stopped shooting death glances at Orlando, and, most importantly, Dom stopped trying to kill Orlando.

“Maggie,” Dom muttered as he ran to Margaret and hugged her.

“Dom? How...how is he?”

“He’s alive, Maggie, and that’s more than we can hope for.”

Margaret dug her hand into Dom’s shoulder and cried. “Can I see him?” she whispered after a moment.

“I don’t know, Maggie. He...he needs to rest.” Dom hugged her tightly to his chest. I can't let her see her brother like that. Broken, beaten, covered in bruises and bandages. Wires everywhere from all the machinery he's hooked up to. When he's awake, he's talking and is aware, but he looks like shit and I have to spare her of that.

Maggie pulled away and fixed her tear-stained face with Dom’s. “Please, Dom.”

Dom gave in and led her down to Billy’s room. He slowly opened the door and saw that Billy was awake again, talking softly with Sean. “Let’s give them a moment,” he whispered to Margaret as he closed the door.

“I wish you had told me, Billy. I would’ve stabbed him with my sword, accidentally on purpose.”

“Sean, I...I’d fucked a great relationship and I didn’t want to fuck up your movie.”

“Billy, you didn’t fuck up anything. Orlando did that. Ah, mate, I should’ve seen. I should’ve known.” Sean ran his hand through his hair. “I should’ve done something.”

“You can do something for me now, Sean.”

“What, Pickle? Anything.” Sean felt particularly guilty about what had happened. He had worked closely with Orlando and felt as though he should’ve sensed something, seen something in Orlando’s behavior.

“Tell me how he acted after I left.”

Sean lowered his head. “Billy, are you sure?” The last thing Sean wanted to do was break Billy’s hard again.

“Tell me, Sean, please.”

Sean sighed. “Ok, I’ll tell you.”

~~~*~~~

Sean walked over to Orlando before filming started the day after Billy left. “Hey, Orli. Sorry about Billy leaving. I know you were looking forward to him being here. Do you know how Maggie is?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry, too,” Orlando mumbled. “Margaret’s fine.”

Sean raised an eyebrow slightly. Orlando knew more than anyone how deeply Billy loved his sister, and his off-hand remark seemed slightly odd. Brushing him off as Orlando just missing his boyfriend, Sean said, “Good. Good to hear. Anyways, if you want to talk, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Sean. I miss him. I really do.” Orlando blushed slightly, sounding almost embarrassed to admit he missed Billy.

Sean was slightly confused by Orlando’s behavior but he clapped Orlando on the back and headed off to film his scenes. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Orlando laughing with Molly, one of the cast mates. Sean frowned slightly, surprised at how happy Orlando was acting with Billy gone.

“Hey, Sean, you ok?” Eric Bana asked as he came up to Sean.

“Me? Oh, yes, I’m fine. Just...just a bit worried about Orlando.”

“Why? He looks fine to me. Was cracking jokes earlier.”

“Was he? Anyways, you know Billy came down to visit?” Sean asked. Eric was the only other person set who knew that Orlando was dating Billy.

“Yeah, I’ve seen him around. Though you wouldn’t know he was here. Orli hasn’t talked him all that much.”

“He left yesterday. Something about his sister.” Sean began walking towards the set, Eric beside him.

“Shit, she ok?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. I just hope Orlando is.” Sean took another look back at Orlando. He was smiling and laughing, but Sean thought it was all a front.

Over the next few weeks, Sean noticed that Orlando seemed tenser than usual, quicker to use his temper. Every time Sean brought up Billy, Orlando eyes would glaze over and he would snap at his friend. Sean tried to brush it off, but something about Orlando’s behavior bothered him.

“Orli, you should call him. I can tell you miss him. Maybe you just need to hear his voice,” Sean said one night when the two were out with several cast members.

“Maybe.” Orlando took a quick swig of his beer.

“Are you two ok? You’ve been acting so...strange since he left.” Sean had to admit he’d been slightly suspicious of Orlando’s behavior. He often saw the younger man hanging out with Molly, laughing and smiling, but he pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind, deciding it was just Orlando’s way of dealing with Billy’s absense.

“We’re fine, Beans, so fuck off.” Orlando quickly finished off his beer and stalked over towards Molly.

Sean shook his head. He called Billy a few times and left messages, but Billy’s replies had been short and to the point.

“Sean!” Eric exclaimed as he sank beside Sean. “How are ya, mate?”

“I’m fine, but you’re drunk,” Sean said with a chuckle.

“Just a teeny bit. So, you’re elf friend’s feeling better. Seen him laughing between takes, flirting with everyone. Same old Orlando, ya know?”

Sean looked over at Orlando who was leaning closely to Molly, whispering something in her ear, causing the blonde to throw her head back and laugh. “I just think it’s a cover. He has to miss Billy. He loves him.”

“Not saying he doesn’t, Sean, just saying he’s feeling better.” Eric shrugged.

“I hope so.” Sean looked over just in time to see Eric nearly fall off his stool. “Time to get you home, mate.” He took one last look at Orlando before helping Eric home.

~~~*~~~

“Went on like that for the rest of the shoot. Orlando acting one way one minute and the complete opposite the next.” Sean shrugged as he tried to avoid looking at Billy’s bruised body. “He kept saying he missed you.”

“Wait,” Billy said as he held up a hand. “He said he missed me?” he whispered as he played with various wires on his body.

“Yeah, he did. Why?”

Billy closed his eyes. He was tired, exhausted, and in a lot of pain, but he had to tell someone. “I called him the minute I landed in Scotland. I begged with Orlando not to break up with me.

“What did he say?”

~~~*~~~

”Please, Orli. I...I don’t care anymore,” Billy begged into the phone, trying not to cry.

“It’s over, Billy. This is exactly why I wanted to break up with you. You...you cling and cry like a fucking girl. How many nights did I wake up to find you sobbing like a fucking baby over your parents? Too fucking many, Billy. Too many. I’m tired of it. Tired of you. Just fuck off, Billy. Don’t call me again, don’t speak to me again, and don’t come crying to me again. Just...just go jump off a bridge or something. Rid me, rid our friends, rid this world of your stupidity and weakness. Do us all that favor.” Orlando spat his venom into Billy’s ear and hung up the phone.

Billy held the phone to his ear for a few moments before letting it fall to the floor. He wanted to call someone, anyone, and talk to them, but they were all too busy. They called Billy when they needed something, his advice, his help, but he couldn’t bring himself to lean on them. He hung up the phone and curled into a ball, hugging his knees tightly. He’d never felt so alone.

He thought of all his friends and their lives now. Most of them had found big roles after Rings and had little time to much of anything. While Billy had signed a few contracts, he stayed to himself in Scotland for the most part. On his occasional ventures outside of Glasgow, he put up a wall, similar to one he put up around his emotions for this parents, and acted like himself. He was a talented actor after all. He found he had no one to talk to, nowhere to turn. So when Peter had called, inviting him to a Christmas party in New Zealand, Billy made his decision.

~~~*~~~

“Shit, Billy. I’m so sorry. I should’ve seen it. I should’ve noticed.” Sean buried his face in his hands, trying not to look Billy in the eyes.

“Seanie, mate, it’s not your fault. Sean, come on. Look at me.” Billy held out his hand to Sean. The wiring taped to the back of it, accented how pale the Scotsman was.

When Sean finally lifted his head and looked for the first time at Billy’s broken face, his tears finally escaped. “I’ll...I’ll fucking kill him.”

“Sean, please. Don’t. He...he has to feel guilty about it. Please don’t,” Billy begged, desperate to believe that Orlando still cared for him, even if it was only as a friend.

“You’re asking the impossible, mate. Dom’s already punched him and he would’ve killed him too if there hadn’t been so many witnesses.”

“Fuck, Sean, I...I still love him.”

Sean shook his head. “I don’t understand that, Billy, how---”

Billy groaned slightly, interrupting Sean. “Sean, thank you, for telling me. I think I need to sleep now. Don’t feel so good.”

Sean stood up. “Don’t worry, Billy. Go to sleep.” He leaned over and kissed Billy’s forehead. “We love you, Billy. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Billy nodded as he pushed his morphine button. All this talking had worn him out. He’d woken up almost the moment Dom had let the door close. His mind was running. He wanted to believe Sean, but something in him doubted the love his friends claimed to have for him. He closed his eyes and finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

Cross posted on monaboyd