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fellowshippers2004-11-29 10:28 am
andrealyn) wrote in fellowshippers2004-11-29 10:28 am
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Title: The Signs of the Zodiac 12/12
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. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting the whole time. <3
CAPRICORN
January 13th
“For the last time, no!” Orlando protested vehemently, trying his best not to be pulled to his feet by the desperate efforts of Dom and Billy. “I don’t want a birthday party!” he insisted.
“You need one,” Dom argued.
”He’s right,” Billy backed him up – quelle surprise – and tugged once more. “If there’s no birthday party, then we can’t give you a birthday gift!”
Somehow, the prospect did not encourage Orlando to move, nor did it enhance the non-existent excitement that he was feeling in regards to a party. He grunted a little and gave a little extra effort towards staying put. Dom rolled his eyes and gave up, and Orlando gave a triumphant grin.
“Congratulations, you have become a bump on a log,” Dom announced.
“Look, everything is set up.” Billy sounded like he would take logic over force and swung his keys around his finger. “The guests are already over there, and you know, it was supposed to be a surprise. At this point, we’ll just be grateful if you show up.”
“Don’t want to,” Orlando grunted, casting an eye towards his phone once more. If Sean were going to call him, it would most certainly be on his birthday.
“Either you come willingly, or Billy knocks you out, and I get to dress you up in pretty pink princess makeup,” Dom stated in a matter-of-fact way.
“How?” Orlando tested.
“Git come too,” Dom answered in a suave tone that had Billy rolling his eyes. Billy shook his head and looked at the ground before leaning over to whisper something into his ear. Dom gave an embarrassingly loud laugh and cleared his throat. “By that of course, I mean Jeet Kune Do.”
“Phase 4.” Billy nodded as he held up four fingers.
Orlando looked to both their faces – trying to gauge whether they were joking or not – and decided that their expressions looked pretty bloody serious to him. He allowed himself to be pulled up by Billy. He brushed himself off – a few insistent crumbs sticking with him – and grabbed his keys.
“Let’s go,” he encouraged.
“Dressed like that?” Dom gave Orlando’s outfit the once-over. Orlando inspected his own clothes, offended. “It’s just so…” Dom began and trailed off.
“Normal?” Billy supplied.
“Exactly,” Dom agreed quickly.
“Bastards,” Orlando muttered as he pushed through two giggling hobbits on his way out the door. If they weren’t quick about it, he was going to drive off without them and they would be locked out of their own house when they arrived.
Orlando arrived at the party and so as to please Dom and Billy, he feigned surprise when he opened the door and had assorted things tossed at him – some confetti, party hats, party favors, and a shoe that looked suspiciously like one of Elijah’s old Vans. He threw a dirty look at the assembled crowd when the shoe hit his forehead, and the group burst into laughter, accompanied by Dom and Billy behind him.
“I know that was you Elijah,” he commented dryly, but before he could say anything else, he was rushed by well-wishers and friends alike. He managed to survive the overwhelming throng to make his way to the bar and pour himself a glass of wine. Dom and Billy interrupted his moment of peace almost immediately, dragging him away. “Um…drinking!”
“You need something,” Dom told him gravely, as Orlando was pushed into the bedroom. Billy kicked the door closed with his foot while Orlando sat himself down on the bed. A moment later, he heard the door clicking shut, and his brain caught up with him. He understood what was happening.
“A very special birthday present, care of Monaghan and Boyd,” Billy took up the sentence. Orlando found that he had closed his eyes and he was anticipating some kind of kissing or touching to begin. After a moment, he opened them slowly. Nothing had happened and no hands were touching anywhere, save for Billy’s hand on Dom’s back.
“Expecting something?” Dom was right in his face when Orlando opened his eyes. Orlando blinked, feeling confused which seemed to answer Dom’s question. “We’ve disillusioned him,” he reported to Billy.
Billy was eyeing him with a thoughtful expression, and Orlando felt like his entire body was on the sort of display that subjected him to the most perilous kind of scrutiny. It was the kind of examination that made Orlando fidget and his skin burn. Dom was alternating his gaze – looking to Billy one moment, and then back to Orlando – as though waiting for someone to initiate the proceedings.
“What is this?” Orlando asked, confused.
“It’s your birthday gift,” Billy gently responded as he sat on the bed beside Orlando.
“Orlando Bloom,” Dom simply said his name as if it needed to be said aloud. He seemed to be giving the floor to Billy, but Billy was merely studying Orlando with those warm eyes.
“For a few months, you drove me absolutely insane,” Billy said, apparently having decided it was time to begin now. The words came with a sardonic smile and a warm crinkling of green eyes. “All that secrecy, it drove me nearly mad with jealousy. I stayed on the line with Viggo for hours, just trying to find out what was happening.”
“I’m sor…” Orlando began.
“No apologies,” Billy cut him off severely. “Not until I’m done. You drove me mad, Orlando, but that’s all okay. And do you know why? It’s because you’re my friend, and I love you.”
Billy smiled, and looked downwards for a moment. When he lifted it up, Orlando was speechless, and Billy shot an amused little smile to Dom. Billy wrapped his arms around Orlando and simply surrounded him with warmth for a comfortable length of time. Orlando clung to the arms – missing the very notion of contact – and when Billy pulled away, Orlando was sure there was a stupid smile on his face.
“Thank you,” Orlando commented softly. “Billy, thank you for putting up with my shit, and everything I must have done to you and Dom, and…God, thank you,” he vehemently reiterated.
“My turn,” Dom announced and upended Billy from his seat. Dom got himself comfortable before turning ever so slightly and draping his legs all over Orlando’s lap. Orlando was knocked back a little, but shifted to accommodate the weight. “Billy complains about it too,” Dom said and shrugged.
“How do you put up with this?” Orlando gave an ‘oof’ as Dom flashed them an angelic smile.
“Divine patience,” Billy murmured in response as he leaned back against the dresser.
“Orlando, best friend in the entire world, man who listens to me go on end about Billy’s talents and our exploits in bed,” Dom began, and was interrupted by Billy having a coughing fit. “Oh, s’okay…he just knows the barebones. I never give him that many details!”
“Really.” Orlando nodded reassuringly.
“You listened to me, you fucked with my head for a few months, but you’re Orlando. And this is really our gift. It’s…well, it’s us,” Dom presented it out into the open.
“You?” Orlando commented, a little more confused now.
“We are your gift,” Billy replied, apparently trying to clarify things – it didn’t.
“Always be there for you, no matter what the hell you do,” Dom made things an inch clearer. Orlando’s brain caught up yet again and he was beginning to understand more than he thought he could handle. “Use us for what you will.”
“So…when you went into all those rooms with all those people…” Orlando began to mumble. “Does that mean you didn’t sleep with all of them?”
He looked from Dom to Billy and only received two knowing smirks, which only further fueled his suspicions. Their lips remained sealed and Orlando gave a grumpy little pout.
“Fine then, is there anything for me to stay here and wait for if you lot won’t divulge stories?” he muttered.
“Well, I know Elijah has a gift for you.” Dom bounced a little, and it hurt Orlando’s legs. “But we just want you to know that you have us, and we love you past pain of peeking at naked Liv and getting caught.”
“I assume you didn’t sleep with her,” Orlando said.
“Not her,” the two voiced in scared unison.
“And then, there’s…well, there’s this,” Billy reached behind him and dug out a thick book – whose pages stuck out in every which way and Orlando could spot tiny items peeking out and vying for freedom. “Dom and I finally finished them a while ago, and it’s your turn.”
Billy held it out and Orlando took the book gently –afraid to break the binding. He wordlessly looked from Dom to Billy and receiving two encouraging nods he opened the first page to find a picture of the four hobbits and himself smiling for the camera.
“This is…” he began to speak in awe as he leafed through the pages. He paused to look at the contents every once in a while and felt overwhelmed.
There was anything and everything inside – transcribed phone messages from Viggo, stolen notes with Elijah’s penmanship scrawled all over, tickets to movies and plays, more intimate pictures of Dom, Billy, and himself. He kept turning the pages and finding more and more memories. He found a feather from the Kiwi bird, and his plane ticket to New Zealand – and he’d always wondered where he’d put that – along with the familiar print of Dom’s hand detailing naughty jokes while Billy’s typed lyrics to songs only they knew about adorned the sides of the pages.
Through it all were pictures of the three of them – smiling, laughing, always happy. Orlando ran his fingers over the pictures lightly, afraid to dirty them with fingerprints. He felt more touched at the thought behind his gift than anything he’d received in the past.
He finally reached a page at the end where the pages were blank. In simple black words, it read, ‘for future memories’.
Orlando grabbed Billy’s hand and pulled him into a three-way hug that never seemed to end, and Orlando was okay with that.
“Thank you,” he said again and again until the words sounded foreign to his ears. When he parted from the hug, he had to wipe away at something in his eye – all the while telling himself don’t cry, you pansy, you do not cry. Men don’t cry, bloody wuss you are.. “Now, where’s Elijah?”
The two men pointed as one towards the closed door, but said nothing more. Orlando rose slowly – not wanting to part from the warmth of their touches – and opened the door, bracing himself for a shift in atmosphere and mood.
The music hit him first and nearly knocked him back into the room. The only thing that kept him going was seeing Elijah standing in front of the closed door of the guest room, looking like some kind of Swiss Guard in that ridiculous shirt he was wearing, and the idea of a birthday gift was also appealing in and of itself. ‘I’m supposed to be wearing that shirt,’ Orlando scoffed silently. He made his way through the dancing bodies and found himself two feet from Elijah, standing still in front of the door.
“Hi,” Orlando greeted him.
“Hi,” Elijah shot right back.
“I was told that you have a gift for me,” Orlando said teasingly, grinning widely. He pointed to the ground beside him. “Incidentally, there’s your shoe.” He narrowed his eyes a little and watched while Elijah worked his way through guilty laughing all the way to pleased smirking. “How’ve you been?”
“Me? Good…I’m good!” Elijah responded with an enthusiastic nod. “I think I might have found something that’s worth trying for.”
“Oh, really? What is he?” Orlando teased.
“A Scorpio,” Elijah gave a big grin, which was quickly swallowed by an even bigger laugh. “You know him actually…quite intimately, or so I heard.”
Orlando felt like smacking a palm right into his forehead. Was everyone going to keep talking about the kiss between him and Craig like it had happened yesterday? They were all grown-ups – well, maybe not Dom, and sometimes not Billy either. And definitely not Elijah, nor himself at times. So on second thought, scratch any idea about any of them being adults in any capacity of the word save for physical aspects – and could they just accept that something was in the past and…
‘Wait…’ his brain stopped.
“Craig?” he voiced aloud, feeling a little shocked, but more pleased than anything.
“It’s definitely worth a try,” Elijah replied happily.
“Congrats, Elwood,” Orlando said softly, and Elijah’s happy exterior melted into something a little more personal and recognizable– feeling happy for Elijah, feeling hopeful. “You deserve it.”
“I hope so.” Elijah nodded and moved a little. “Anyways, my gift is in there. Dom and Billy had a small stake in it too. So, um…enjoy!” he finished quickly.
Orlando hesitated. Knowing the three of them, he really did mean anything. He wouldn’t even put it past them to give him a rainbow-painted stripped in some sort of cop’s uniform. He braced himself, and grabbed the handle, jerking the door open and stepping to one side at the same time, just on the off-chance that something was going to spring out at him.
The room was pitch black – devoid of any source of light. Elijah’s gift to him was apparently the dark.
“Thanks for nothing, Elijah,” Orlando muttered. He flicked on the lights to find a figure sitting on the edge of the couch, hands clasped together in a thoughtful sort of way. Orlando felt his eyes go wide. “What the…Sean?” he coughed out when no other words came.
“Last time I checked.” Sean nodded and quickly looked at himself as if to verify that no one had possessed his body in the time he had been sitting there. He gave Orlando a kind smile and patted the space beside him. “Sit,” he offered.
“Okay,” Orlando responded numbly and did as he was told. He reached a hand out, hesitated, then touched Sean’s face, just the brush of fingers, just to be sure, just to…Sean nodded gently, as though to confirm his presence. “Hi,” Orlando felt the word slip out of his mouth. “You’re here,” he remembered to add.
“Elijah kept pestering me with telephone calls,” Sean said with a wry grin, “and then Dom and Billy decided to up the ante and tag-team me with calls. They kept saying they needed to speak to me.”
“Sounds like them,” Orlando acknowledged with a smile that he hoped showed as much relief as he felt. Sean was only inches from him. “That guy from Dom’s party last month…are you…do you…?”
“He gave me a ride.” Sean laughed a little. “We were just working on a film.”
“Oh…good! I mean, not the kind of good like I don’t want you to…but good that…good that you didn’t rush into anything like a lesser intelligent person might have done while heavily drunk at someone’s birthday party,” Orlando knew he was rambling – he felt more like Elijah than he ever had in his life – and managed to force himself to shut up by drawing a sharp breath.
“I understand,” Sean replied evenly.
There was a moment of silence, and Orlando shrugged a little, resisting the urge to move closer to Sean, preserving the distance between them like a barrier to keep them safe, to keep them from making any more stupid mistakes. Eventually, Orlando blinked and decided that he had nothing to lose.
“Elijah said that you were my gift,” Orlando filled him in.
“Did he?” Sean responded with a curious noise.
“Was he telling me the truth?” Orlando quietly asked now, almost afraid of the answer. “I couldn’t do it, Sean. I couldn’t do anything without you. And my God, how horrible and needy does that sound? I just mean it…I mean it like, everything I did wasn’t as good as when I did it with you. Does that make sense?”
“I think I can get a feeling of that,” Sean nodded a little and, very slowly, Orlando felt the barrier between them begin to crumble to pieces. “Orlando, when Elijah called me and when we spoke, he said something that made me think.”
“Will I get to find out what he said?”
“He said, ‘I’ve made all sorts of matches, but I could never make one as good as you two seemed to be.’ And then he rambled for a while about how Dom and Billy were somewhat on par but in a different category and then went on and on about the standards of love in the world.” Sean chuckled softly, keeping his eyes on Orlando. Orlando felt like he was being scrutinized – the second time that night, but this time with so much more to lose – made Orlando’s breath hitch in his throat. The atmosphere in the room seemed too thin to sustain life.
“Seems like Elijah,” Orlando managed to say.
“He was right, you know,” Sean mused aloud.
“About which part?” Orlando asked slowly, knowing that he was leaning forward a little so that there would be no mistaking the answer he received. His heart was galloping along at twice the healthy average of beats per minute. “Which part was he right about?” he asked again, almost breathlessly.
“Orlando, I love you.”
Orlando’s mouth dropped open slightly and he began to stare at Sean. Those were the words he’d needed to hear, and hearing them had frozen Orlando in the moment. “And Dom told me what was going on between you two during those months. I never knew,” Sean said, his voice sounding raw. “I had no idea, Orlando, and…God…how do I put this?”
“Can we have a second chance?” The words popped out of Orlando’s mouth before Sean could say anything else.
There was a vast moment in which everything was silent. Orlando was fixated on watching Sean’s face for a reaction – any kind – and he couldn’t help but try and memorize, let his eyes roam over Sean and mark him, just in case, just in case this was really it. Finally, Sean met Orlando’s gaze.
“I should have stayed and I should have listened to you,” he whispered hoarsely. “I was entirely stupid.”
“Second chance?” Orlando whispered again.
“I’ve already said I love you.” Sean moved a little closer, and the barrier between them was little more than a few bricks now. “Orlando, if you want to take me…if you want to have a second chance...”
“Yeah?”
“You have me.”
“I do?” Orlando was giddy and full of enthusiastic and unstoppable excitement. He wrapped himself around Sean and kissed him hard enough that Sean was pushed back a little before he returned the force and the heat. Orlando mentally pumped one fist into the air and in the back of his brain he made a mental note to thank Elijah and company for the truly thoughtful birthday present.
When Sean’s hands slipped to the front of his shirt and grasped at the lapels, Orlando’s breath caught and he put a little more push into the kiss.
And Orlando’s day ended with a bang, a boom, and a life-changing event.
end
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. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting the whole time. <3January 13th
“For the last time, no!” Orlando protested vehemently, trying his best not to be pulled to his feet by the desperate efforts of Dom and Billy. “I don’t want a birthday party!” he insisted.
“You need one,” Dom argued.
”He’s right,” Billy backed him up – quelle surprise – and tugged once more. “If there’s no birthday party, then we can’t give you a birthday gift!”
Somehow, the prospect did not encourage Orlando to move, nor did it enhance the non-existent excitement that he was feeling in regards to a party. He grunted a little and gave a little extra effort towards staying put. Dom rolled his eyes and gave up, and Orlando gave a triumphant grin.
“Congratulations, you have become a bump on a log,” Dom announced.
“Look, everything is set up.” Billy sounded like he would take logic over force and swung his keys around his finger. “The guests are already over there, and you know, it was supposed to be a surprise. At this point, we’ll just be grateful if you show up.”
“Don’t want to,” Orlando grunted, casting an eye towards his phone once more. If Sean were going to call him, it would most certainly be on his birthday.
“Either you come willingly, or Billy knocks you out, and I get to dress you up in pretty pink princess makeup,” Dom stated in a matter-of-fact way.
“How?” Orlando tested.
“Git come too,” Dom answered in a suave tone that had Billy rolling his eyes. Billy shook his head and looked at the ground before leaning over to whisper something into his ear. Dom gave an embarrassingly loud laugh and cleared his throat. “By that of course, I mean Jeet Kune Do.”
“Phase 4.” Billy nodded as he held up four fingers.
Orlando looked to both their faces – trying to gauge whether they were joking or not – and decided that their expressions looked pretty bloody serious to him. He allowed himself to be pulled up by Billy. He brushed himself off – a few insistent crumbs sticking with him – and grabbed his keys.
“Let’s go,” he encouraged.
“Dressed like that?” Dom gave Orlando’s outfit the once-over. Orlando inspected his own clothes, offended. “It’s just so…” Dom began and trailed off.
“Normal?” Billy supplied.
“Exactly,” Dom agreed quickly.
“Bastards,” Orlando muttered as he pushed through two giggling hobbits on his way out the door. If they weren’t quick about it, he was going to drive off without them and they would be locked out of their own house when they arrived.
Orlando arrived at the party and so as to please Dom and Billy, he feigned surprise when he opened the door and had assorted things tossed at him – some confetti, party hats, party favors, and a shoe that looked suspiciously like one of Elijah’s old Vans. He threw a dirty look at the assembled crowd when the shoe hit his forehead, and the group burst into laughter, accompanied by Dom and Billy behind him.
“I know that was you Elijah,” he commented dryly, but before he could say anything else, he was rushed by well-wishers and friends alike. He managed to survive the overwhelming throng to make his way to the bar and pour himself a glass of wine. Dom and Billy interrupted his moment of peace almost immediately, dragging him away. “Um…drinking!”
“You need something,” Dom told him gravely, as Orlando was pushed into the bedroom. Billy kicked the door closed with his foot while Orlando sat himself down on the bed. A moment later, he heard the door clicking shut, and his brain caught up with him. He understood what was happening.
“A very special birthday present, care of Monaghan and Boyd,” Billy took up the sentence. Orlando found that he had closed his eyes and he was anticipating some kind of kissing or touching to begin. After a moment, he opened them slowly. Nothing had happened and no hands were touching anywhere, save for Billy’s hand on Dom’s back.
“Expecting something?” Dom was right in his face when Orlando opened his eyes. Orlando blinked, feeling confused which seemed to answer Dom’s question. “We’ve disillusioned him,” he reported to Billy.
Billy was eyeing him with a thoughtful expression, and Orlando felt like his entire body was on the sort of display that subjected him to the most perilous kind of scrutiny. It was the kind of examination that made Orlando fidget and his skin burn. Dom was alternating his gaze – looking to Billy one moment, and then back to Orlando – as though waiting for someone to initiate the proceedings.
“What is this?” Orlando asked, confused.
“It’s your birthday gift,” Billy gently responded as he sat on the bed beside Orlando.
“Orlando Bloom,” Dom simply said his name as if it needed to be said aloud. He seemed to be giving the floor to Billy, but Billy was merely studying Orlando with those warm eyes.
“For a few months, you drove me absolutely insane,” Billy said, apparently having decided it was time to begin now. The words came with a sardonic smile and a warm crinkling of green eyes. “All that secrecy, it drove me nearly mad with jealousy. I stayed on the line with Viggo for hours, just trying to find out what was happening.”
“I’m sor…” Orlando began.
“No apologies,” Billy cut him off severely. “Not until I’m done. You drove me mad, Orlando, but that’s all okay. And do you know why? It’s because you’re my friend, and I love you.”
Billy smiled, and looked downwards for a moment. When he lifted it up, Orlando was speechless, and Billy shot an amused little smile to Dom. Billy wrapped his arms around Orlando and simply surrounded him with warmth for a comfortable length of time. Orlando clung to the arms – missing the very notion of contact – and when Billy pulled away, Orlando was sure there was a stupid smile on his face.
“Thank you,” Orlando commented softly. “Billy, thank you for putting up with my shit, and everything I must have done to you and Dom, and…God, thank you,” he vehemently reiterated.
“My turn,” Dom announced and upended Billy from his seat. Dom got himself comfortable before turning ever so slightly and draping his legs all over Orlando’s lap. Orlando was knocked back a little, but shifted to accommodate the weight. “Billy complains about it too,” Dom said and shrugged.
“How do you put up with this?” Orlando gave an ‘oof’ as Dom flashed them an angelic smile.
“Divine patience,” Billy murmured in response as he leaned back against the dresser.
“Orlando, best friend in the entire world, man who listens to me go on end about Billy’s talents and our exploits in bed,” Dom began, and was interrupted by Billy having a coughing fit. “Oh, s’okay…he just knows the barebones. I never give him that many details!”
“Really.” Orlando nodded reassuringly.
“You listened to me, you fucked with my head for a few months, but you’re Orlando. And this is really our gift. It’s…well, it’s us,” Dom presented it out into the open.
“You?” Orlando commented, a little more confused now.
“We are your gift,” Billy replied, apparently trying to clarify things – it didn’t.
“Always be there for you, no matter what the hell you do,” Dom made things an inch clearer. Orlando’s brain caught up yet again and he was beginning to understand more than he thought he could handle. “Use us for what you will.”
“So…when you went into all those rooms with all those people…” Orlando began to mumble. “Does that mean you didn’t sleep with all of them?”
He looked from Dom to Billy and only received two knowing smirks, which only further fueled his suspicions. Their lips remained sealed and Orlando gave a grumpy little pout.
“Fine then, is there anything for me to stay here and wait for if you lot won’t divulge stories?” he muttered.
“Well, I know Elijah has a gift for you.” Dom bounced a little, and it hurt Orlando’s legs. “But we just want you to know that you have us, and we love you past pain of peeking at naked Liv and getting caught.”
“I assume you didn’t sleep with her,” Orlando said.
“Not her,” the two voiced in scared unison.
“And then, there’s…well, there’s this,” Billy reached behind him and dug out a thick book – whose pages stuck out in every which way and Orlando could spot tiny items peeking out and vying for freedom. “Dom and I finally finished them a while ago, and it’s your turn.”
Billy held it out and Orlando took the book gently –afraid to break the binding. He wordlessly looked from Dom to Billy and receiving two encouraging nods he opened the first page to find a picture of the four hobbits and himself smiling for the camera.
“This is…” he began to speak in awe as he leafed through the pages. He paused to look at the contents every once in a while and felt overwhelmed.
There was anything and everything inside – transcribed phone messages from Viggo, stolen notes with Elijah’s penmanship scrawled all over, tickets to movies and plays, more intimate pictures of Dom, Billy, and himself. He kept turning the pages and finding more and more memories. He found a feather from the Kiwi bird, and his plane ticket to New Zealand – and he’d always wondered where he’d put that – along with the familiar print of Dom’s hand detailing naughty jokes while Billy’s typed lyrics to songs only they knew about adorned the sides of the pages.
Through it all were pictures of the three of them – smiling, laughing, always happy. Orlando ran his fingers over the pictures lightly, afraid to dirty them with fingerprints. He felt more touched at the thought behind his gift than anything he’d received in the past.
He finally reached a page at the end where the pages were blank. In simple black words, it read, ‘for future memories’.
Orlando grabbed Billy’s hand and pulled him into a three-way hug that never seemed to end, and Orlando was okay with that.
“Thank you,” he said again and again until the words sounded foreign to his ears. When he parted from the hug, he had to wipe away at something in his eye – all the while telling himself don’t cry, you pansy, you do not cry. Men don’t cry, bloody wuss you are.. “Now, where’s Elijah?”
The two men pointed as one towards the closed door, but said nothing more. Orlando rose slowly – not wanting to part from the warmth of their touches – and opened the door, bracing himself for a shift in atmosphere and mood.
The music hit him first and nearly knocked him back into the room. The only thing that kept him going was seeing Elijah standing in front of the closed door of the guest room, looking like some kind of Swiss Guard in that ridiculous shirt he was wearing, and the idea of a birthday gift was also appealing in and of itself. ‘I’m supposed to be wearing that shirt,’ Orlando scoffed silently. He made his way through the dancing bodies and found himself two feet from Elijah, standing still in front of the door.
“Hi,” Orlando greeted him.
“Hi,” Elijah shot right back.
“I was told that you have a gift for me,” Orlando said teasingly, grinning widely. He pointed to the ground beside him. “Incidentally, there’s your shoe.” He narrowed his eyes a little and watched while Elijah worked his way through guilty laughing all the way to pleased smirking. “How’ve you been?”
“Me? Good…I’m good!” Elijah responded with an enthusiastic nod. “I think I might have found something that’s worth trying for.”
“Oh, really? What is he?” Orlando teased.
“A Scorpio,” Elijah gave a big grin, which was quickly swallowed by an even bigger laugh. “You know him actually…quite intimately, or so I heard.”
Orlando felt like smacking a palm right into his forehead. Was everyone going to keep talking about the kiss between him and Craig like it had happened yesterday? They were all grown-ups – well, maybe not Dom, and sometimes not Billy either. And definitely not Elijah, nor himself at times. So on second thought, scratch any idea about any of them being adults in any capacity of the word save for physical aspects – and could they just accept that something was in the past and…
‘Wait…’ his brain stopped.
“Craig?” he voiced aloud, feeling a little shocked, but more pleased than anything.
“It’s definitely worth a try,” Elijah replied happily.
“Congrats, Elwood,” Orlando said softly, and Elijah’s happy exterior melted into something a little more personal and recognizable– feeling happy for Elijah, feeling hopeful. “You deserve it.”
“I hope so.” Elijah nodded and moved a little. “Anyways, my gift is in there. Dom and Billy had a small stake in it too. So, um…enjoy!” he finished quickly.
Orlando hesitated. Knowing the three of them, he really did mean anything. He wouldn’t even put it past them to give him a rainbow-painted stripped in some sort of cop’s uniform. He braced himself, and grabbed the handle, jerking the door open and stepping to one side at the same time, just on the off-chance that something was going to spring out at him.
The room was pitch black – devoid of any source of light. Elijah’s gift to him was apparently the dark.
“Thanks for nothing, Elijah,” Orlando muttered. He flicked on the lights to find a figure sitting on the edge of the couch, hands clasped together in a thoughtful sort of way. Orlando felt his eyes go wide. “What the…Sean?” he coughed out when no other words came.
“Last time I checked.” Sean nodded and quickly looked at himself as if to verify that no one had possessed his body in the time he had been sitting there. He gave Orlando a kind smile and patted the space beside him. “Sit,” he offered.
“Okay,” Orlando responded numbly and did as he was told. He reached a hand out, hesitated, then touched Sean’s face, just the brush of fingers, just to be sure, just to…Sean nodded gently, as though to confirm his presence. “Hi,” Orlando felt the word slip out of his mouth. “You’re here,” he remembered to add.
“Elijah kept pestering me with telephone calls,” Sean said with a wry grin, “and then Dom and Billy decided to up the ante and tag-team me with calls. They kept saying they needed to speak to me.”
“Sounds like them,” Orlando acknowledged with a smile that he hoped showed as much relief as he felt. Sean was only inches from him. “That guy from Dom’s party last month…are you…do you…?”
“He gave me a ride.” Sean laughed a little. “We were just working on a film.”
“Oh…good! I mean, not the kind of good like I don’t want you to…but good that…good that you didn’t rush into anything like a lesser intelligent person might have done while heavily drunk at someone’s birthday party,” Orlando knew he was rambling – he felt more like Elijah than he ever had in his life – and managed to force himself to shut up by drawing a sharp breath.
“I understand,” Sean replied evenly.
There was a moment of silence, and Orlando shrugged a little, resisting the urge to move closer to Sean, preserving the distance between them like a barrier to keep them safe, to keep them from making any more stupid mistakes. Eventually, Orlando blinked and decided that he had nothing to lose.
“Elijah said that you were my gift,” Orlando filled him in.
“Did he?” Sean responded with a curious noise.
“Was he telling me the truth?” Orlando quietly asked now, almost afraid of the answer. “I couldn’t do it, Sean. I couldn’t do anything without you. And my God, how horrible and needy does that sound? I just mean it…I mean it like, everything I did wasn’t as good as when I did it with you. Does that make sense?”
“I think I can get a feeling of that,” Sean nodded a little and, very slowly, Orlando felt the barrier between them begin to crumble to pieces. “Orlando, when Elijah called me and when we spoke, he said something that made me think.”
“Will I get to find out what he said?”
“He said, ‘I’ve made all sorts of matches, but I could never make one as good as you two seemed to be.’ And then he rambled for a while about how Dom and Billy were somewhat on par but in a different category and then went on and on about the standards of love in the world.” Sean chuckled softly, keeping his eyes on Orlando. Orlando felt like he was being scrutinized – the second time that night, but this time with so much more to lose – made Orlando’s breath hitch in his throat. The atmosphere in the room seemed too thin to sustain life.
“Seems like Elijah,” Orlando managed to say.
“He was right, you know,” Sean mused aloud.
“About which part?” Orlando asked slowly, knowing that he was leaning forward a little so that there would be no mistaking the answer he received. His heart was galloping along at twice the healthy average of beats per minute. “Which part was he right about?” he asked again, almost breathlessly.
“Orlando, I love you.”
Orlando’s mouth dropped open slightly and he began to stare at Sean. Those were the words he’d needed to hear, and hearing them had frozen Orlando in the moment. “And Dom told me what was going on between you two during those months. I never knew,” Sean said, his voice sounding raw. “I had no idea, Orlando, and…God…how do I put this?”
“Can we have a second chance?” The words popped out of Orlando’s mouth before Sean could say anything else.
There was a vast moment in which everything was silent. Orlando was fixated on watching Sean’s face for a reaction – any kind – and he couldn’t help but try and memorize, let his eyes roam over Sean and mark him, just in case, just in case this was really it. Finally, Sean met Orlando’s gaze.
“I should have stayed and I should have listened to you,” he whispered hoarsely. “I was entirely stupid.”
“Second chance?” Orlando whispered again.
“I’ve already said I love you.” Sean moved a little closer, and the barrier between them was little more than a few bricks now. “Orlando, if you want to take me…if you want to have a second chance...”
“Yeah?”
“You have me.”
“I do?” Orlando was giddy and full of enthusiastic and unstoppable excitement. He wrapped himself around Sean and kissed him hard enough that Sean was pushed back a little before he returned the force and the heat. Orlando mentally pumped one fist into the air and in the back of his brain he made a mental note to thank Elijah and company for the truly thoughtful birthday present.
When Sean’s hands slipped to the front of his shirt and grasped at the lapels, Orlando’s breath caught and he put a little more push into the kiss.
And Orlando’s day ended with a bang, a boom, and a life-changing event.
end
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Wonderful story (all 12 chapters!!).
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worth every minute of the wait
lovely.
Re: worth every minute of the wait