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fellowshippers2004-11-15 05:12 pm
andrealyn) wrote in fellowshippers2004-11-15 05:12 pm
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Title: The Signs of the Zodiac 4/12
Pairing: Bean/Orlando, Dom/Billy
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine, never happened.
Summary: Orlando's life goes through quite a bit in the course of twelve months.
Notes: So, thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
captnobvious and beizy for hand-holding in the early days and to shaenie who completely ripped the first draft of this apart. Many thanks. Couldn't have done it without you. Previous parts can be found here.
TAURUS
May 14th
As far as silent treatment went, Orlando had the practice down pat. Orlando had ignored both Dom and Billy when Dom had called to find out why they weren't speaking. Their first speaking did not happen by their own wills, and by that point, Orlando figured that Dom would be unwilling to say anything.
Orlando stretched his back – still aching from sitting too long in ridiculously ornate chairs – and wandered to the table set up for the lavish birthday dinner that Cate had arranged for herself.
No one was at the table yet, but Dom and Billy were speaking with Sean just outside on the patio. If there was anything Orlando hated more than secrets, it was prying.
Eavesdropping, however, was a sport of its own, and it happened to be one that Orlando was quite good at. He sidled closer to the billowing curtains that provided a partition between the patio and dining room and from there, he could vaguely hear the voices. He closed his eyes and tried to focus all his energy towards listening.
“…still won’t talk…” Dom was muttering.
“I can speak…him…you’d like,” Sean spoke now, trailed by the clear ringing of a bell. Soon after, a feminine voice rang out, drowning the softer voices Orlando was straining to hear.
“Into the dining room!” Cate called, her voice clear.
Orlando panicked. Being caught like this wasn’t high on his to-do list. He whirled and made a stealthy escape, nicking his lower leg on a piece of very sharp furniture in the process. He swore silently while he marvelled at Cate’s ability to have such expensive, decorative, and lethal furniture in her home.
He knew there would be a good-sized bruise there later, but any bruise was well worth avoiding suspicious stares. He sat in his designated chair and smiled pleasantly as Sean sat down beside him. He then turned a cool stare toward Dom and Billy, and winced a little as pain coursed through the new wound.
“All right, I give up,” Dom muttered while placing the napkin in his lap. “Talk to me…to us. What the bloody hell did I do to make you ignore me for nearly a month.” His voice was quiet, yet harsh. Orlando conceded defeat after faltering under the prolonged stare Dom was giving him and because he just didn’t feel like trying anymore. He didn’t really want to cause a scene either.
“Sean’s birthday,” Orlando admitted while Billy leaned in to find out what was going on. “When you lot went…”
“And you don’t trust him?” Billy piped up curiously. Somehow – miraculously – Sean remained ignorant of the conversation, absorbed in Cate. Billy shook his head and something resembling pity crossed his face. “It’s not really our issue then.”
“We wouldn’t,” Dom added with a slightly hurt inflection.
The offended note in Dom’s voice brought the situation crashing back to reality and definitely made time seem more realistic in his mind. He felt the comprehension that a very big mistake had happened resonating in his body.
“Guys…you didn’t?” Orlando haltingly spoke.
“No!” Dom said with energy. “Like I said, we wouldn’t. You’re too good a friend Orli, and I hate to say it, but we wouldn’t do anything of that sort to piss you off.”
“Oh,” he remarked with a sheepish grin while running one hand through his hair. “And I suppose a good friend should admit to being jealous as hell and move on?”
“Occasionally,” Billy conceded with a smile.
Somehow, the words were working some kind of magic to make the paranoia that Orlando was feeling disappear if only a little, but there was still the glimmer of mistrust. This tiny glimmer, however, was only meant for discussion with Sean. They would have plenty of time for that later. Orlando drank deeply from the beer in front of him, willing to forget the entire issue for the rest of the night.
To his delight, Sean was also drinking – white wine from a goblet -- and he hadn’t fallen to illness since being diagnosed. Orlando decided not to focus on anything else such as confronting Sean about anything until Orlando felt ready to, however long that took. He was almost unaware of the stupid smile that was growing on his face at the sheer idea of a healthy Sean.
“We never meant harm,” came from Billy as soup was placed in front of them.
“We really didn’t,” Dom enforced the sentiment.
“I know,” Orlando grudgingly admitted. “I shouldn’t have ignored you for a month,” he remembered to add sheepishly. Dom and Orlando shared a subtle embrace – meant not to draw attention – and Billy clamped a strong hand down on Orlando’s shoulder.
When a fresh wave of pain hit his leg, Orlando excused himself from the party, slipping away from Billy’s hold on him. “I’ll be right back,” he promised more quietly to Sean.
With an acknowledging nod from an effervescent Cate, he found his way away from the table and all its’ chattering guests – some guests that he was now more at ease with, thankfully. He had begun to miss calling Dom every other night and chattering on about odds and ends, not to mention going on about their significant others.
He navigated his way in the precious silence of the hallways and sighed in relief as he ran a hand through his semi-long locks – which he really had been meaning to cut – his head no longer pounding. He ducked into the washroom. When he was sure the door was locked, he pulled down his pleated black khakis to inspect the gash he had inflected upon himself. He winced as he grabbed some tissues to stop the blood flow cleaning the wound with warm water.
“Serves me right,” Orlando muttered softly to himself. He figured that now, at least, he would feel an extremely tangible reminder of his suspicious nature, and maybe it would prevent further bouts of eavesdropping. He mourned the blood stained trousers for a moment before he was content that the bleeding had stopped. He pulled the khakis back up and checked that he looked stellar before making his trek back to dinner.
He sat back down in time for the main course, but he couldn’t do much more than pick at it. His fork went right over the beef and pasta portion and barely touched the vegetables. When the server came around and found that Orlando was finished, he gave Orlando a look -- “are you anorexic or what?” The course passed without incident other than the impromptu toasts from Dom and Billy. They seemed to increase in both hilarity and occurrence with the amount of alcohol they imbibed.
What was significant was that Sean had switched seats so that he could parlay – pirates tongue still sticking with him, which was all Johnny’s fault he figured – with Dom. Orlando became quite uncomfortable all of a sudden and his eye turned suspicious of all things happening around him.
“I’m just keeping your seat warm, love,” Sean vacated the spot as soon as dessert was being set down and they had the opportunity to switch. Orlando could have thanked him (and God, and whoever else was ready and available for thanks) quite profusely for the simple gesture.
Dessert came and went and Cate remained ever the smiling and perfect hostess. When all the plates and coffee cups had been cleared, Dom and Billy took this as their cue to stand up.
“Most beautiful of queens,” Billy began, gallantly getting to one knee to kiss her hand. She giggled, as did the rest of the company – Orlando included. Some things, you just couldn’t help but laugh at.
“On this, your most esteemed birthday,” Dom moved to the other hand, his words slurring only a little, “which makes you most youthful, I assure you.”
“We beseech you,” Billy broke in before leaning in the rest of the way and whispering their secret intentions into her ear. A look of pure mischievous delight became her face as Dom kept his eyes on the table with rapt enthusiasm.
“My dear friends, I bid you goodnight,” Cate sounded when some distance found its way between Billy’s mouth and the side of Cate’s head. She looked at the two men with mischievous amusement and anticipation, and they gave her an equal look of pure excitement back.
As Orlando stood and watched them disappear into a back bedroom, he couldn’t suppress the flare of uneasiness that rose in him, an unbidden memory coming from the depths of Orlando and dancing in the forefront of his mind.
“Come on,” Sean prodded; hands gentle on Orlando’s aching back. “Let’s go home.”
Billy moved out of Cate’s room, checking back on her to find her smiling with such pride and happiness that it brightened his world to merely look at it. He lowered his head a little, almost ashamed to be looking at something so beautiful.
“Goodbye boys,” she waved.
Dom fell into step beside Billy and they made their way out into the night, pausing under the streetlight to check that they had all their things. Billy watched as Dom rooted through pockets and eventually found his keys. He smiled a little when Dom caught him looking his way.
“How was the night for you?” Billy murmured as Dom gave him a flirtatious wink. They climbed into the car and Dom hesitated before starting it. “After all, you did get a trusted friend back.”
“I did,” Dom nodded and as the engine warmed up, a smile touched upon his face. “It was a good night.”
“Cate really seemed to like her, uh…her gift,” Billy began and Dom seemed to pick up on the train of thought.
“Yeah,” they spoke at once in a dreamy tone as Dom drove. The drive, filled with streetlights flashing past and the occasional pedestrian they passed by, was marked with a safe silence. Dom tapped the steering wheel with his fingers in a random pattern during the quiet drive.
“Do you think Orlando means it?” he wondered aloud. The words – and the self-doubt in them – surprised Billy. For a moment, they both seemed to consider the question deeply, and finally Billy shook his head.
“Of course he did,” Billy insisted with a nod. “He’s your best mate.”
“Yeah.” Dom smiled widely.
tbc
Pairing: Bean/Orlando, Dom/Billy
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine, never happened.
Summary: Orlando's life goes through quite a bit in the course of twelve months.
Notes: So, thanks to
captnobvious and beizy for hand-holding in the early days and to shaenie who completely ripped the first draft of this apart. Many thanks. Couldn't have done it without you. Previous parts can be found here.May 14th
As far as silent treatment went, Orlando had the practice down pat. Orlando had ignored both Dom and Billy when Dom had called to find out why they weren't speaking. Their first speaking did not happen by their own wills, and by that point, Orlando figured that Dom would be unwilling to say anything.
Orlando stretched his back – still aching from sitting too long in ridiculously ornate chairs – and wandered to the table set up for the lavish birthday dinner that Cate had arranged for herself.
No one was at the table yet, but Dom and Billy were speaking with Sean just outside on the patio. If there was anything Orlando hated more than secrets, it was prying.
Eavesdropping, however, was a sport of its own, and it happened to be one that Orlando was quite good at. He sidled closer to the billowing curtains that provided a partition between the patio and dining room and from there, he could vaguely hear the voices. He closed his eyes and tried to focus all his energy towards listening.
“…still won’t talk…” Dom was muttering.
“I can speak…him…you’d like,” Sean spoke now, trailed by the clear ringing of a bell. Soon after, a feminine voice rang out, drowning the softer voices Orlando was straining to hear.
“Into the dining room!” Cate called, her voice clear.
Orlando panicked. Being caught like this wasn’t high on his to-do list. He whirled and made a stealthy escape, nicking his lower leg on a piece of very sharp furniture in the process. He swore silently while he marvelled at Cate’s ability to have such expensive, decorative, and lethal furniture in her home.
He knew there would be a good-sized bruise there later, but any bruise was well worth avoiding suspicious stares. He sat in his designated chair and smiled pleasantly as Sean sat down beside him. He then turned a cool stare toward Dom and Billy, and winced a little as pain coursed through the new wound.
“All right, I give up,” Dom muttered while placing the napkin in his lap. “Talk to me…to us. What the bloody hell did I do to make you ignore me for nearly a month.” His voice was quiet, yet harsh. Orlando conceded defeat after faltering under the prolonged stare Dom was giving him and because he just didn’t feel like trying anymore. He didn’t really want to cause a scene either.
“Sean’s birthday,” Orlando admitted while Billy leaned in to find out what was going on. “When you lot went…”
“And you don’t trust him?” Billy piped up curiously. Somehow – miraculously – Sean remained ignorant of the conversation, absorbed in Cate. Billy shook his head and something resembling pity crossed his face. “It’s not really our issue then.”
“We wouldn’t,” Dom added with a slightly hurt inflection.
The offended note in Dom’s voice brought the situation crashing back to reality and definitely made time seem more realistic in his mind. He felt the comprehension that a very big mistake had happened resonating in his body.
“Guys…you didn’t?” Orlando haltingly spoke.
“No!” Dom said with energy. “Like I said, we wouldn’t. You’re too good a friend Orli, and I hate to say it, but we wouldn’t do anything of that sort to piss you off.”
“Oh,” he remarked with a sheepish grin while running one hand through his hair. “And I suppose a good friend should admit to being jealous as hell and move on?”
“Occasionally,” Billy conceded with a smile.
Somehow, the words were working some kind of magic to make the paranoia that Orlando was feeling disappear if only a little, but there was still the glimmer of mistrust. This tiny glimmer, however, was only meant for discussion with Sean. They would have plenty of time for that later. Orlando drank deeply from the beer in front of him, willing to forget the entire issue for the rest of the night.
To his delight, Sean was also drinking – white wine from a goblet -- and he hadn’t fallen to illness since being diagnosed. Orlando decided not to focus on anything else such as confronting Sean about anything until Orlando felt ready to, however long that took. He was almost unaware of the stupid smile that was growing on his face at the sheer idea of a healthy Sean.
“We never meant harm,” came from Billy as soup was placed in front of them.
“We really didn’t,” Dom enforced the sentiment.
“I know,” Orlando grudgingly admitted. “I shouldn’t have ignored you for a month,” he remembered to add sheepishly. Dom and Orlando shared a subtle embrace – meant not to draw attention – and Billy clamped a strong hand down on Orlando’s shoulder.
When a fresh wave of pain hit his leg, Orlando excused himself from the party, slipping away from Billy’s hold on him. “I’ll be right back,” he promised more quietly to Sean.
With an acknowledging nod from an effervescent Cate, he found his way away from the table and all its’ chattering guests – some guests that he was now more at ease with, thankfully. He had begun to miss calling Dom every other night and chattering on about odds and ends, not to mention going on about their significant others.
He navigated his way in the precious silence of the hallways and sighed in relief as he ran a hand through his semi-long locks – which he really had been meaning to cut – his head no longer pounding. He ducked into the washroom. When he was sure the door was locked, he pulled down his pleated black khakis to inspect the gash he had inflected upon himself. He winced as he grabbed some tissues to stop the blood flow cleaning the wound with warm water.
“Serves me right,” Orlando muttered softly to himself. He figured that now, at least, he would feel an extremely tangible reminder of his suspicious nature, and maybe it would prevent further bouts of eavesdropping. He mourned the blood stained trousers for a moment before he was content that the bleeding had stopped. He pulled the khakis back up and checked that he looked stellar before making his trek back to dinner.
He sat back down in time for the main course, but he couldn’t do much more than pick at it. His fork went right over the beef and pasta portion and barely touched the vegetables. When the server came around and found that Orlando was finished, he gave Orlando a look -- “are you anorexic or what?” The course passed without incident other than the impromptu toasts from Dom and Billy. They seemed to increase in both hilarity and occurrence with the amount of alcohol they imbibed.
What was significant was that Sean had switched seats so that he could parlay – pirates tongue still sticking with him, which was all Johnny’s fault he figured – with Dom. Orlando became quite uncomfortable all of a sudden and his eye turned suspicious of all things happening around him.
“I’m just keeping your seat warm, love,” Sean vacated the spot as soon as dessert was being set down and they had the opportunity to switch. Orlando could have thanked him (and God, and whoever else was ready and available for thanks) quite profusely for the simple gesture.
Dessert came and went and Cate remained ever the smiling and perfect hostess. When all the plates and coffee cups had been cleared, Dom and Billy took this as their cue to stand up.
“Most beautiful of queens,” Billy began, gallantly getting to one knee to kiss her hand. She giggled, as did the rest of the company – Orlando included. Some things, you just couldn’t help but laugh at.
“On this, your most esteemed birthday,” Dom moved to the other hand, his words slurring only a little, “which makes you most youthful, I assure you.”
“We beseech you,” Billy broke in before leaning in the rest of the way and whispering their secret intentions into her ear. A look of pure mischievous delight became her face as Dom kept his eyes on the table with rapt enthusiasm.
“My dear friends, I bid you goodnight,” Cate sounded when some distance found its way between Billy’s mouth and the side of Cate’s head. She looked at the two men with mischievous amusement and anticipation, and they gave her an equal look of pure excitement back.
As Orlando stood and watched them disappear into a back bedroom, he couldn’t suppress the flare of uneasiness that rose in him, an unbidden memory coming from the depths of Orlando and dancing in the forefront of his mind.
“Come on,” Sean prodded; hands gentle on Orlando’s aching back. “Let’s go home.”
Billy moved out of Cate’s room, checking back on her to find her smiling with such pride and happiness that it brightened his world to merely look at it. He lowered his head a little, almost ashamed to be looking at something so beautiful.
“Goodbye boys,” she waved.
Dom fell into step beside Billy and they made their way out into the night, pausing under the streetlight to check that they had all their things. Billy watched as Dom rooted through pockets and eventually found his keys. He smiled a little when Dom caught him looking his way.
“How was the night for you?” Billy murmured as Dom gave him a flirtatious wink. They climbed into the car and Dom hesitated before starting it. “After all, you did get a trusted friend back.”
“I did,” Dom nodded and as the engine warmed up, a smile touched upon his face. “It was a good night.”
“Cate really seemed to like her, uh…her gift,” Billy began and Dom seemed to pick up on the train of thought.
“Yeah,” they spoke at once in a dreamy tone as Dom drove. The drive, filled with streetlights flashing past and the occasional pedestrian they passed by, was marked with a safe silence. Dom tapped the steering wheel with his fingers in a random pattern during the quiet drive.
“Do you think Orlando means it?” he wondered aloud. The words – and the self-doubt in them – surprised Billy. For a moment, they both seemed to consider the question deeply, and finally Billy shook his head.
“Of course he did,” Billy insisted with a nod. “He’s your best mate.”
“Yeah.” Dom smiled widely.
tbc