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saklani2.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fellowshippers2006-03-15 01:02 am
saklani2.livejournal.com) wrote in fellowshippers2006-03-15 01:02 am
NEW: Hitchhiker 4/10 (Viggo/Elijah) [NC-17]
Title: HitchHiker
Author: Saklani (saklani@wildmail.com) and Wushu
Pairing: Viggo/Elijah
Beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
riley442 (we love her!)
Banner: A special thank you toringwench (love her, too!)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: We don’t know them. Damn! We don’t own them. Double damn. We’ve just pretending and making them do what we want them to do.
Summary: Ever picked up a lost soul by the wayside?
Author’s Notes: This was written for the lovelytrianne as part of the 2005 ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
slashababy ficathon. However, until recently, it was not thoroughly betaed, but our lovely riley442 helped us out and went through this gi-normous fiction for us. Enjoy!
I guess boys all dream and so did I
My hands once reached to touch the sky
Is this the sky that I reached for
Just the dust of the road and nothin’ more
Here comes another car
Hitch Hiker
Hitch hiker! Hitch hiker!
Like a restless tiger you can’t stand still
And you never will.
- Bobby Bright and Laurie Allen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elijah slid into sleep well before Viggo, his sleep untroubled for the first time in months. He woke feeling wonderfully refreshed and sighed, pressing a kiss to the nearest patch of Viggo’s skin he could find.
Mumbling in his sleep, Viggo pulled his warm bundle closer and slept on blissfully.
Elijah smiled and pressed another kiss to the next patch of skin, grinning happily.
The mumble became louder, as Viggo rolled over on top of Jordan. His body curled around the smaller frame, arms sliding lower to grip loosely.
With a soft giggle, Elijah considered his new position and decided that he would not be moving any time soon. So he just pressed another kiss to Viggo’s neck and closed his own eyes, not sleeping anymore, just enjoying Viggo’s closeness and embrace.
Viggo’s eyes cracked open around ten a.m. and blinked sleepily at Jordan. Slowly, he smiled and nuzzled a moment before kissing. “Hello there.”
“Morning sleepy head.” Elijah’s voice was wide awake and full of repressed giggles.
“I am not,” Viggo protested around a yawn. He grinned at his own lie and kissed Jordan to shut him up for a moment. “If I am, it’s all your fault!”
Elijah’s only answer to that was a highly unrepentant grin.
The grin demanded another kiss, which Viggo gave, rolling more completely on Jordan and pinning him with a deep, tongue-twisting, breath-destroying embrace. “How are you?”
“Breathless...” Elijah managed to gasp out, and it was all he did for a while as he regained his breath. “But good... very good, in fact.”
Viggo studied the blue eyes for a long moment, trying to decide. Finally, he rolled off and sat up to look at Jordan intensely, his heart pounding a hole through his ribs. “Would... would you like a chance to keep feeling good?”
Considering his life growing up in Hollywood, that offer seemed fraught with danger, and Elijah asked softly, “What- what do you mean?”
Viggo breathed in deeply and said, “You don’t have to wander the streets alone, Jordan. I know you don’t know me very well, but I am prepared to offer you a place to stay while you figure out what you want. No strings... I just don’t like the idea of you taking the chance of being picked up by someone dangerous. Truthfully, I don’t like the idea of you doing this...”
Elijah’s eyes widened to almost inhuman size, and he stared at Viggo, stunned at the offer. So stunned, he could not find a single word of answer.
The stare discombobulated Viggo for a moment, and he cast his mind around to try and regain his train of thought. “I live about two hundred miles from here on a ranch. Its a quiet place, good for thinking and whatever else you need to do... I’m not rich, but I make enough... I mean... you would be welcome.”
“Oh, Viggo...” Elijah’s eyes filled with tears, but only one slid over his cheek as he looked at Viggo. “You- you are amazing.” He leanws forward and gave Viggo a soft kiss, lips barely brushing against the other man’s mouth.
Viggo wiped away the tear with his thumb, kissing back just as softly. “But...”
“I-” He looked down at his lap, as he confessed in a soft voice, “I’m not what or who you think I am.”
“What do you mean?” Viggo asked, wondering what Jordan considered shameful, considering they had already shared a bed.
“My name isn’t Jordan...” He sighed deeply before looking up at Viggo with blue eyes that where sweeping the world with hobbit fever. “It’s Elijah... Elijah Wood.” And he waited for the reaction.
“Elijah.” Viggo rolled the name off his tongue and found it delighted him in some silly way. “That’s a lovely name.”
Elijah looked at Viggo, giving a kinda incredulous laugh. “Viggo, don’t you recognize the name? Just about everyone else in the English speaking world seems to.”
Confusion wrinkled Viggo’s smooth brow, and he lifted his arms in a weak shrug. “I don’t understand... what do you mean?”
“Viggo, I’m an actor... a pretty well known one at that... I’ve been acting since I was like eight...” He looked deeply into Viggo’s eyes as he spoke. “I- I- you have no idea what I’m talking about do you?”
“A well-known actor?” Viggo asked, suddenly wondering if Jordan needed psychiatric attention.
Elijah sighed, raking his hand through his hair as he nodded. “Yes... Haven’t you heard of Fellowship of the Ring?” He felt the irony so deeply it almost hurt- here he was trying to prove his identity, the very thing he ran from.
“The book by Tolkein? I read it a long time ago... My son mentioned somebody might make it into a movie or something...” Viggo waved his hand distractedly in the air. “I really don’t know anything about movies.”
Elijah looked at Viggo in confusion. “I play Frodo.” He shook his head and then let out a yelp as his cell phone started howling. Getting up, he pulled the phone out of the bottom of his bag. “Hello?” He searched the bag for a few more moments, before passing Viggo some of the press kit he had taken from the last premier.
The pictures burned themselves into Viggo’s brain with bright clarity. For a moment, he considered the possibility that they were doctored, but threw that idea away instantly. He knew what fabricated photos looked like. He felt like Alice after plummeting down the rabbit hole. Everything he assumed proved false by the face staring back at him in these photographs. Jor- Elijah talking excitedly in the background on his cell phone merely heightened the whole sense of absurdity. Viggo knew he set himself to be hurt, but this was not the way he expected.
“No! I mean it! NO! Fuck that!! I don’t care! Tell New Line to go fuck themselves for a while, CC! I mean it. I’m- no! I’m not even home. I... fuck I don’t know where I am. I’m in no state to do an interview!”
Viggo eyed their identical naked states and nodded his agreement to that last exclamation. Jordan vanished in front of his eyes, replaced by a stranger, an actor of incredibly skill. Viggo wondered if he should consider himself privileged to receive such a personal performance. He slid off the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans, his hands shaking slightly.
“CC I told you I was taking some time for myself and I MEANT it. So tell New Line if they don’t like it, they can fucking fire me, and I won’t be doing pickups for them ever again!” He hung his phone up, throwing it back into his bag. He swung around, looking for Viggo. “Viggo?”
“I’m here,” Viggo said, rooting through his bag in a fruitless search for a clean shirt. He turned back to Jor- Elijah and ran a hand through his bed head. “So-” he said lamely and then realized he did not know what to say.
“I-” Elijah looked as lost a Viggo, searching for the closeness he had felt only minutes before. “I’m sorry for- for not telling you... but- but I was trying to get away from it all... and... and being with you felt so good.” He looked down at the floor.
Viggo’s natural empathy kicked in, and he sat back down near Elijah, reaching out to rub his neck soothingly. “Yeah. Its all right. I can’t say I understand, but it sounds like you got it a bit rough there. Everyone needs to get away from themselves now and then...”
“I didn’t lie about anything else, Viggo, except my name... maybe a lie of omission... but everything about last night being a first... I meant it.” It was desperately important to Elijah that Viggo believed him.
“I don’t think that was your first time being Jordan,” Viggo said quietly. “So how was it different?”
“Jordan’s my middle name. I- I use it when I need to get away... but... it was different... cause I wasn’t being Jordan... I wasn’t even being Elijah Wood... I- I was just me. And it was wonderful!” His expression brightened just with thinking about last night.
“Then I’m glad I could give you that,” Viggo said with a smile that felt like a blow to the gut, despite its utter sincerity. “You made me feel more than I have in a long time, as well.”
“I- I don’t want to never feel that again, Viggo.”
“What are you asking me, Elijah?” Viggo asked in his quietest voice. “I want to know exactly what you want. I’m an ignoramus when it comes to the media and popular culture, but I know enough to realize they don’t readily embrace gay men.”
“I don’t know exactly what I want... except I desperately don’t want to lose what I found with you last night... and I’m not just talking about the amazing sex...” He sighed a little, looking at Viggo, his expression showing his every emotion-- the confusion, the hope and the desperate fear. “I don’t want to lose the person I found within me. I thought I lost most of him years ago.”
Viggo gazed back, his own eyes steady and calm. Despite the inherent dangers in the offer, he said, “You’re not lost for the reasons I thought you were, but you’re still lost, aren’t you? You’ve been giving away pieces of yourself to portray others for so long that you don’t know where you are anymore...” He paused for a breath, wondering if that was the truth at all, before deciding it hardly mattered. “My offer still stands.”
Elijah shivered and leaned a little closer to Viggo. “You really mean that don’t you?” His eyes filled with tears again, several falling this time. He wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around Viggo and cling onto him for dear life but he was not sure if that would be allowed. So, he just looked up at Viggo, tear filled eyes full of emotions.
The back of Viggo’s rough hand wiped away the tears from Elijah’s cheeks. “Yes, I do. You’re still welcome... whether you’re the unknown Jordan or the world-renowned Elijah.”
“I don’t want to be either, Viggo... I just want to be Elijah... to remember who he is again... before I lose him for good.” Turning his head a little, Elijah pressed a kiss to Viggo’s palm. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Viggo said. He paused and then gently curled a big hand around Elijah’s waist. He tugged him into a hug, offering support with more than just words.
When Viggo initiated the contact, Elijah could not resist any longer and wrapped his arms around Viggo, burrowing his face into Viggo’s neck. “Thank you.” He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. When he was a little calmer, Elijah leaned back and looked deeply into Viggo’s eyes. “I- I’m so glad you picked me us yesterday.”
“Don’t say that until you see my ranch,” Viggo said with a smile that brought warmth back to his voice. “I’m infamous for being messy and scatterbrained when I’m working.”
“I don’t believe you.” Elijah’s grin was just a little impish, and he lifted his head to kiss Viggo.
For a moment, Viggo let himself enjoy the flick of their tongues against each other. He pulled back and sighed a little. “Elijah, can you afford this?”
Elijah frowned ever so slightly, as he cocked his head to the side. “Afford? I don’t think you mean money...”
“Being with a man... especially one who picked you up hitchhiking. Can you imagine what the press would say if they ever found out?” Viggo’s eyes narrowed with worry, his mouth a thin line. “I wouldn’t know how to deal with them.”
“I know what the press would say and honestly, don’t care anymore... but I would never want to put you in a situation that made you uncomfortable, Viggo.”
Viggo drew Elijah back toward the bed, crawling on the mattress and pulling Elijah up with him. “I just don’t know anything about your world, Elijah. Honestly, I’m feeling more than slightly surreal at the moment.”
“I won’t force anything from that world on you, Viggo, I promise...” It was the only thing Elijah could think to say as he wrapped himself around Viggo tightly, sighing softly as he spoke, “I would never let them hurt you.”
“My little hitchhiker,” Viggo mumbled into his hair. “How life has changed since I started driving home early on a wet and rainy afternoon only yesterday.”
“Looks like we’ve both hit that detour you saw yesterday, Viggo. But- but maybe it will be a good detour?”
Viggo tilted his head, steel eyes full of quiet wisdom. “Take it slow... one day at a time and see... that’s all anyone can do.”
“I’ve been living one day at a time for years, Viggo, I think I can manage it for a little while longer.” He smiled slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Viggo’s chin.
“How long do you have free?” Viggo asked, thinking of Elijah’s phone call.
Elijah sighed, eyes darting over at his bag and sighed again. “A few days... a week at most.” He sighed yet again and pressed his face into Viggo’s shoulder. “I want more time with you.” Silently he added, “With myself.”
“My ranch is very secluded and certainly a good place to hide your cell phone. You can hike for hours along trails, go sit beneath a tree for an afternoon and generally be free.” Viggo hugged Elijah gently, the touch friendly.
“I would love to visit your ranch,Viggo, if you’ll have me?”
“For as long as you want to stay,” Viggo said, tightening his hold for a moment. He fluffed Elijah’s hair. “You want to go take a shower?”
“I don’t know if we need another one.” Elijah grinned at Viggo, nuzzling his shoulder lightly. “Do- do you want to leave now?” He gave Viggo a highly suggestive look. “I can think of other things to be doing...”
“Elijah... I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Viggo said hesitantly. “When you were an anonymous hitchhiker, I could justify it to myself. Now... you’re more than that... I don’t want to do this for the wrong reasons.”
Elijah stared at Viggo in confused disbelief. “You... because you know who I am, you don’t think it’s right to have sex with me?” It denigrated what they had shared to call it sex, but he was not bold enough to call it love, particularly after being turned down.
“I’m offering you more than sex,” Viggo said softly. “I’d hope you would see my friendship as being worth more. And I’m not denying there is something between us... something that made me offer Jordan a place to live, no matter who he was. But I want you to know who you are and who I am, before we just tumble back into bed together.”
Elijah actually pouted at Viggo’s words, sighing deeply. “I- I understand what you just said... it’s just... being with you last night... it was glorious, the most amazing night of my life... and I don’t want to lose that, although I do want to get to know you better, much better.”
The pout brought a smile to Viggo’s face. “Why would we lose that?” Viggo asked gently. He touched the pouting lower lip with a thumb tip.
“Cause a lot of that is being able to touch you... I... not just the... more stuff...” He really did not want to say sex to describe it again. “But... I’m- I am a very physical person... its going to be very hard not to touch you.”
“Who said you can’t touch?” Viggo asked, fluffing Elijah’s hair. “I’d not deny either of us the joy of touching.”
Sighing softly, Elijah turned his head and pressed a kiss to Viggo’s palm before laying his head against Viggo’s chest. “I... Do you want to get going for your place? Cause if you do, I need to get some clothing on.”
“Yes, I would, Elijah. It’s a bit of a drive. We can talk on the way, or just sit and watch the road go by... whatever you want.”
Elijah wondered if this, whatever this was, really could survive his life. But he was determined to find out. Elijah snuggled into Viggo’s chest and breathed deeply before sitting up and nodding. He brushed a quick kiss over Viggo’s lips, but was up and getting his clothes before Viggo could react.
Viggo watched his new- friend? lover?- with gentle concern. He did not think Elijah really needed him as much as he needed a place to discover himself. And Viggo could offer him that at least. He shimmied off the bed and searched for a clean shirt under his art supplies, glad to find an old one tucked away. He smiled, remembering how Henry laughed at his father’s battered clothes.
Elijah pulled on the sweat pants he changed into for dinner the night before, adding a hooded sweater. His clothes, still wet from the day before were shoved into a plastic bag before being packed away in his backpack. He added the press kit and was done. Blinking a few times, he realized that he had not taken his contacts out the night before. “Um... I... I need to do something...”
“All right.” Viggo opened the door and hauled his art supplies back to the truck throwing them behind the front seat. His old backpack followed on the heap. “There.”
Elijah came out a few moments later, a pair of black rimmed glasses sitting on his nose as he slid into the truck, his backpack joining Viggo’s. “Still want to share your home with a bat?”
The glasses gave Viggo a start, before he laughed and leaned over impulsively to kiss Elijah. “You look cute.”
Elijah laughed softly, shaking his head only after he’d returned the kiss. “I’m glad you think so... most people seem to think they hide my best feature.”
“Your best feature?” Viggo asked, turning over the motor and pulling slowly out of the parking lot.
“My eyes?” Elijah looked at Viggo for a long moment. “They did make me after all. Without them, I’m just a geek.” He seemed quite used to this, almost happy with it.
“Your best features are your heart and soul,” Viggo quoted with a little smile. The truck splashed through a puddle, one of the few signs of the storm from the previous day. The sun shone brightly down on the town as they drove away. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“Who said that?” Elijah snuggled into the seat, remembering the trip the day before, the rain and the cold and Viggo’s incredible kindness. “I’d love something to eat... I don’t think we ate as much as we exercised.”
“I thought you stocked away enough Chinese food for both of us,” Viggo teased. He slowed down and stopped in front of a small diner downtown. “Come on, I’ll let you buy me some pancakes and eggs.”
Elijah stuck his tongue out at Viggo. “Will you just...” He leaned over and kissed Viggo before hopping out of the car, swinging his bag into his hand as he quite deliberately walked away from Viggo, hips swaying just enough to remind Viggo of the night before.
The truck door swung shut with a bang behind Viggo, as he trotted a few steps to catch up with Elijah. He very deliberately reached down and pinched Elijah’s ass, before opening the door to let him in. “Will I what?”
“Let” -he emphasized the word deliberately- “me get you breakfast?”
Viggo grinned and winked at the waitress, before indicating a table near the back. Once seated, menus in hand and steaming coffee before them, he said, “I figure I can live very well off your income.”
Elijah looked completely stunned for several long moments, before he burst out laughing. It took him several minutes to get himself under control, but when he did Elijah could not help but comment, “You and half the state.”
Laughing a little with him, Viggo ended up look smug and content all in one. “You’re lovely when you laugh. Do it more often.”
Elijah stuck his tongue out at Viggo, but he smiled happily at the other man, clearly feeling quite content and relaxed. “I’ll try and remember that.” Shaking his head, he took a look at his menu before announcing, “I want a farm hand platter.”
“Two large slices of ham, three strips of bacon, three sausages, two eggs and a side order of hash browns... why am I not surprised?” Viggo drawled.
“You forgot the fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and stack with syrup.” Elijah smiled at him sweetly.
“I’m going to have the granola with strawberries,” Viggo said, putting his menu on the side of the table. “Just thinking of you eating all that is making me full.”
“That’s not a healthy breakfast, Viggy!” Elijah shook his finger at Viggo. “You need to have something more.”
The right eyebrow shot back up for the hairline. “That’s a very healthy breakfast, young man. Especially for an older gentleman trying to maintain his weight and appearance, so he can continue to pick up pretty young hitchhikers.”
Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t need to be worrying about other hitchhikers, remember?”
The waitress took their order in the bored way of so many waitresses, before Viggo turned back to Elijah. “Do I get a written guarantee on that? A contract in blood or something?”
Elijah looked across the table at Viggo, expression very serious as he asked, “Do you really need one?”
Viggo reached out to took Elijah’s hand in his larger, calloused one. “No.”
Elijah smiled at him so brightly it was as if the sun was coming up again, curling his fingers into Viggo’s and slowly stroking Viggo’s wrist with his thumb.
The waitress cleared her throat in an odd manner, setting down Viggo’s orange juice and granola. The look she shot them clearly disapproved, but Viggo rolled his eyes at her behind her back. “Some people just have to have something to think badly of.”
Elijah just shook his head. “I know... one of the worst things about the human race is the need to judge other people... I hate it.”
“Yet, I am sure you have been guilty of it yourself,” Viggo said mildly. “As I have as well.”
“I’m sure I have... I’ve even done it to myself.”
“And what judgment have you passed on yourself, Elijah Wood?” Viggo asked, making the name a title more than a name.
“That I don’t like me.”
A flicker of concern turned into something deeper, as Viggo leaned forward to examine the eyes behind Elijah’s glasses more closely. “What a terrible thing to say, Elijah. Why would you even think such a thing?”
“Because it’s true, there are times with I dislike Elijah so much I can’t even be him anymore.” He spoke softly, a little sadly.
“Why?” Viggo pressed, his fingers rubbing Elijah’s soothingly.
“Elijah Wood can be so unreal it hurts to pretend anymore.” Elijah shook his head and sighed, taking a long drink of his coffee.
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Viggo said. “I don’t know who Elijah Wood is in any sense.”
“Maybe- maybe neither do I.” Elijah sighed softly, looking down at the table. “I have to find out you know... being with you, I ... I like this person.”
“No better place to find yourself then on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. It’s just you, the horses, nature and your thoughts.”
“And you.” Elijah then realized what Viggo had said and grinned. “Horses??” He looked at Viggo hopefully.
“The true rulers of the ranch, no matter what I may say,” Viggo said. “There’s TJ, Urias, Euripedes and Silas.”
“I love riding... I learned on Rings...” He looked at Viggo, almost bouncing in his seat at just the thought of getting to ride again.
“Silas is a sweet horse, an old chestnut Quarter Horse. TJ is a bratty little paint with a streak of larceny in his heart. Urias is a patient sport horse, who will put up with any kind of ride. And Euripedes will toss you in a coyote bush if you do not ride him correctly.”
“Ride correctly huh? I was taught, so hopefully he won’t toss me, if you let me ride him that is.” Elijah grinned just a little shyly. “I think I like the sound of TJ to be honest.”
“You’re welcome to ride any of the four, though I love Urias best myself. His heart is as big as the sky itself.” Viggo dug into his granola, as Elijah’s food arrived on a huge platter. The waitress set down their check and marched away without another word. Viggo waved three fingers at her cheekily and kept right on plowing through his bowl of fruit and grain.
Giving Viggo a happy smile, ELijah tugged his hand away. “Thank you...” And then he started eating. There was no more talking, there was not even thinking as he ate every scrap of food on his plate with true hunger.
The food on Elijah’s plate seemed to evaporate as Viggo watched in disbelief. His own remaining breakfast remained untouched, forgotten at the sight of this amazing spectacle. He wanted to photograph Elijah eating, the concentration on his face intense and almost frightening. His tongue snuck up to lick his scar in thought, as he wondered if he could capture that determination in a drawing or abstract art.
Elijah sat back with a happy sigh, taking Viggo’s orange juice and taking a healthy swallow before asking teasingly, “Are you gonna finish that?”
“No. Now I know I’m full. That was... disgustingly entrancing.”
Elijah laughed, throwing his head back and just letting the sound spring free.
Viggo picked up the check and paid without a thought. “Come on, Elijah, before you decide to order lunch now, too.”
“I thought I was buying.” Elijah did not complain, but he did go to the counter and order a couple of drinks and pieces of pie for them to snack on as the day went on. Paying, he grabbed the food and followed Viggo out. “Soooo... what was so disgusting about it?”
“Your food never stood a chance... didn’t even know what hit it,” Viggo said with a look of wonder at Elijah. “One moment, it all sat happily on the plate and the next, WHOOSH!, it was no more.”
“Would it have been kinder to play with it? Let it think it had a chance and then realize its end had come?”
Viggo snickered at the idea and then turned to face Elijah. “So, is it the sex that keeps you in such great shape then, or do you have the metabolism of a gerbil?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how long it was before you... I have a good metabolism, but I also work out. I don’t wanna get pudgy.”
Viggo reached down and pinched Elijah’s slight tummy. “I like a little flesh, gives me something to hold on to and hug.” He twisted his head to kiss Elijah with soft care.
Elijah shimmed at the pinch, kissing Viggo back just a little aggressively. “I don’t want to be a stick figure, just not pudgy either. Don’t want to give you splinters when we snuggle or anything.”
“Easy,” Viggo mumbled at the aggressive kiss. He rubbed Elijah’s side and then started the truck with a rumble. “I’ll have to buy a lot of extra groceries for you.”
Elijah nodded. “Good idea... I can eat a lot you know...” He snuggled into the door of the car. “Mind if I put some of my music on?”
“I don’t know if it’s safe to say no or yes to that question,” Viggo mumbled. He gestured to the radio system with a resigned air. “Go ahead.”
Elijah grinned and delved into his bag, pulling out a random CD and slipping it into the player. He almost laughed when the music that resulted was a Beatles album.
“And I’m too old-fashioned for you?” Viggo questioned with a little smile of pleasure. He drove out of town and then sped up to a comfortable sixty-five on the highway. He sang along with the songs, his voice pitched low and sweet.
Author: Saklani (saklani@wildmail.com) and Wushu
Pairing: Viggo/Elijah
Beta:
riley442 (we love her!)Banner: A special thank you to
ringwench (love her, too!)Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: We don’t know them. Damn! We don’t own them. Double damn. We’ve just pretending and making them do what we want them to do.
Summary: Ever picked up a lost soul by the wayside?
Author’s Notes: This was written for the lovely
trianne as part of the 2005 slashababy ficathon. However, until recently, it was not thoroughly betaed, but our lovely riley442 helped us out and went through this gi-normous fiction for us. Enjoy!I guess boys all dream and so did I
My hands once reached to touch the sky
Is this the sky that I reached for
Just the dust of the road and nothin’ more
Here comes another car
Hitch Hiker
Hitch hiker! Hitch hiker!
Like a restless tiger you can’t stand still
And you never will.
- Bobby Bright and Laurie Allen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elijah slid into sleep well before Viggo, his sleep untroubled for the first time in months. He woke feeling wonderfully refreshed and sighed, pressing a kiss to the nearest patch of Viggo’s skin he could find.
Mumbling in his sleep, Viggo pulled his warm bundle closer and slept on blissfully.
Elijah smiled and pressed another kiss to the next patch of skin, grinning happily.
The mumble became louder, as Viggo rolled over on top of Jordan. His body curled around the smaller frame, arms sliding lower to grip loosely.
With a soft giggle, Elijah considered his new position and decided that he would not be moving any time soon. So he just pressed another kiss to Viggo’s neck and closed his own eyes, not sleeping anymore, just enjoying Viggo’s closeness and embrace.
Viggo’s eyes cracked open around ten a.m. and blinked sleepily at Jordan. Slowly, he smiled and nuzzled a moment before kissing. “Hello there.”
“Morning sleepy head.” Elijah’s voice was wide awake and full of repressed giggles.
“I am not,” Viggo protested around a yawn. He grinned at his own lie and kissed Jordan to shut him up for a moment. “If I am, it’s all your fault!”
Elijah’s only answer to that was a highly unrepentant grin.
The grin demanded another kiss, which Viggo gave, rolling more completely on Jordan and pinning him with a deep, tongue-twisting, breath-destroying embrace. “How are you?”
“Breathless...” Elijah managed to gasp out, and it was all he did for a while as he regained his breath. “But good... very good, in fact.”
Viggo studied the blue eyes for a long moment, trying to decide. Finally, he rolled off and sat up to look at Jordan intensely, his heart pounding a hole through his ribs. “Would... would you like a chance to keep feeling good?”
Considering his life growing up in Hollywood, that offer seemed fraught with danger, and Elijah asked softly, “What- what do you mean?”
Viggo breathed in deeply and said, “You don’t have to wander the streets alone, Jordan. I know you don’t know me very well, but I am prepared to offer you a place to stay while you figure out what you want. No strings... I just don’t like the idea of you taking the chance of being picked up by someone dangerous. Truthfully, I don’t like the idea of you doing this...”
Elijah’s eyes widened to almost inhuman size, and he stared at Viggo, stunned at the offer. So stunned, he could not find a single word of answer.
The stare discombobulated Viggo for a moment, and he cast his mind around to try and regain his train of thought. “I live about two hundred miles from here on a ranch. Its a quiet place, good for thinking and whatever else you need to do... I’m not rich, but I make enough... I mean... you would be welcome.”
“Oh, Viggo...” Elijah’s eyes filled with tears, but only one slid over his cheek as he looked at Viggo. “You- you are amazing.” He leanws forward and gave Viggo a soft kiss, lips barely brushing against the other man’s mouth.
Viggo wiped away the tear with his thumb, kissing back just as softly. “But...”
“I-” He looked down at his lap, as he confessed in a soft voice, “I’m not what or who you think I am.”
“What do you mean?” Viggo asked, wondering what Jordan considered shameful, considering they had already shared a bed.
“My name isn’t Jordan...” He sighed deeply before looking up at Viggo with blue eyes that where sweeping the world with hobbit fever. “It’s Elijah... Elijah Wood.” And he waited for the reaction.
“Elijah.” Viggo rolled the name off his tongue and found it delighted him in some silly way. “That’s a lovely name.”
Elijah looked at Viggo, giving a kinda incredulous laugh. “Viggo, don’t you recognize the name? Just about everyone else in the English speaking world seems to.”
Confusion wrinkled Viggo’s smooth brow, and he lifted his arms in a weak shrug. “I don’t understand... what do you mean?”
“Viggo, I’m an actor... a pretty well known one at that... I’ve been acting since I was like eight...” He looked deeply into Viggo’s eyes as he spoke. “I- I- you have no idea what I’m talking about do you?”
“A well-known actor?” Viggo asked, suddenly wondering if Jordan needed psychiatric attention.
Elijah sighed, raking his hand through his hair as he nodded. “Yes... Haven’t you heard of Fellowship of the Ring?” He felt the irony so deeply it almost hurt- here he was trying to prove his identity, the very thing he ran from.
“The book by Tolkein? I read it a long time ago... My son mentioned somebody might make it into a movie or something...” Viggo waved his hand distractedly in the air. “I really don’t know anything about movies.”
Elijah looked at Viggo in confusion. “I play Frodo.” He shook his head and then let out a yelp as his cell phone started howling. Getting up, he pulled the phone out of the bottom of his bag. “Hello?” He searched the bag for a few more moments, before passing Viggo some of the press kit he had taken from the last premier.
The pictures burned themselves into Viggo’s brain with bright clarity. For a moment, he considered the possibility that they were doctored, but threw that idea away instantly. He knew what fabricated photos looked like. He felt like Alice after plummeting down the rabbit hole. Everything he assumed proved false by the face staring back at him in these photographs. Jor- Elijah talking excitedly in the background on his cell phone merely heightened the whole sense of absurdity. Viggo knew he set himself to be hurt, but this was not the way he expected.
“No! I mean it! NO! Fuck that!! I don’t care! Tell New Line to go fuck themselves for a while, CC! I mean it. I’m- no! I’m not even home. I... fuck I don’t know where I am. I’m in no state to do an interview!”
Viggo eyed their identical naked states and nodded his agreement to that last exclamation. Jordan vanished in front of his eyes, replaced by a stranger, an actor of incredibly skill. Viggo wondered if he should consider himself privileged to receive such a personal performance. He slid off the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans, his hands shaking slightly.
“CC I told you I was taking some time for myself and I MEANT it. So tell New Line if they don’t like it, they can fucking fire me, and I won’t be doing pickups for them ever again!” He hung his phone up, throwing it back into his bag. He swung around, looking for Viggo. “Viggo?”
“I’m here,” Viggo said, rooting through his bag in a fruitless search for a clean shirt. He turned back to Jor- Elijah and ran a hand through his bed head. “So-” he said lamely and then realized he did not know what to say.
“I-” Elijah looked as lost a Viggo, searching for the closeness he had felt only minutes before. “I’m sorry for- for not telling you... but- but I was trying to get away from it all... and... and being with you felt so good.” He looked down at the floor.
Viggo’s natural empathy kicked in, and he sat back down near Elijah, reaching out to rub his neck soothingly. “Yeah. Its all right. I can’t say I understand, but it sounds like you got it a bit rough there. Everyone needs to get away from themselves now and then...”
“I didn’t lie about anything else, Viggo, except my name... maybe a lie of omission... but everything about last night being a first... I meant it.” It was desperately important to Elijah that Viggo believed him.
“I don’t think that was your first time being Jordan,” Viggo said quietly. “So how was it different?”
“Jordan’s my middle name. I- I use it when I need to get away... but... it was different... cause I wasn’t being Jordan... I wasn’t even being Elijah Wood... I- I was just me. And it was wonderful!” His expression brightened just with thinking about last night.
“Then I’m glad I could give you that,” Viggo said with a smile that felt like a blow to the gut, despite its utter sincerity. “You made me feel more than I have in a long time, as well.”
“I- I don’t want to never feel that again, Viggo.”
“What are you asking me, Elijah?” Viggo asked in his quietest voice. “I want to know exactly what you want. I’m an ignoramus when it comes to the media and popular culture, but I know enough to realize they don’t readily embrace gay men.”
“I don’t know exactly what I want... except I desperately don’t want to lose what I found with you last night... and I’m not just talking about the amazing sex...” He sighed a little, looking at Viggo, his expression showing his every emotion-- the confusion, the hope and the desperate fear. “I don’t want to lose the person I found within me. I thought I lost most of him years ago.”
Viggo gazed back, his own eyes steady and calm. Despite the inherent dangers in the offer, he said, “You’re not lost for the reasons I thought you were, but you’re still lost, aren’t you? You’ve been giving away pieces of yourself to portray others for so long that you don’t know where you are anymore...” He paused for a breath, wondering if that was the truth at all, before deciding it hardly mattered. “My offer still stands.”
Elijah shivered and leaned a little closer to Viggo. “You really mean that don’t you?” His eyes filled with tears again, several falling this time. He wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around Viggo and cling onto him for dear life but he was not sure if that would be allowed. So, he just looked up at Viggo, tear filled eyes full of emotions.
The back of Viggo’s rough hand wiped away the tears from Elijah’s cheeks. “Yes, I do. You’re still welcome... whether you’re the unknown Jordan or the world-renowned Elijah.”
“I don’t want to be either, Viggo... I just want to be Elijah... to remember who he is again... before I lose him for good.” Turning his head a little, Elijah pressed a kiss to Viggo’s palm. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Viggo said. He paused and then gently curled a big hand around Elijah’s waist. He tugged him into a hug, offering support with more than just words.
When Viggo initiated the contact, Elijah could not resist any longer and wrapped his arms around Viggo, burrowing his face into Viggo’s neck. “Thank you.” He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. When he was a little calmer, Elijah leaned back and looked deeply into Viggo’s eyes. “I- I’m so glad you picked me us yesterday.”
“Don’t say that until you see my ranch,” Viggo said with a smile that brought warmth back to his voice. “I’m infamous for being messy and scatterbrained when I’m working.”
“I don’t believe you.” Elijah’s grin was just a little impish, and he lifted his head to kiss Viggo.
For a moment, Viggo let himself enjoy the flick of their tongues against each other. He pulled back and sighed a little. “Elijah, can you afford this?”
Elijah frowned ever so slightly, as he cocked his head to the side. “Afford? I don’t think you mean money...”
“Being with a man... especially one who picked you up hitchhiking. Can you imagine what the press would say if they ever found out?” Viggo’s eyes narrowed with worry, his mouth a thin line. “I wouldn’t know how to deal with them.”
“I know what the press would say and honestly, don’t care anymore... but I would never want to put you in a situation that made you uncomfortable, Viggo.”
Viggo drew Elijah back toward the bed, crawling on the mattress and pulling Elijah up with him. “I just don’t know anything about your world, Elijah. Honestly, I’m feeling more than slightly surreal at the moment.”
“I won’t force anything from that world on you, Viggo, I promise...” It was the only thing Elijah could think to say as he wrapped himself around Viggo tightly, sighing softly as he spoke, “I would never let them hurt you.”
“My little hitchhiker,” Viggo mumbled into his hair. “How life has changed since I started driving home early on a wet and rainy afternoon only yesterday.”
“Looks like we’ve both hit that detour you saw yesterday, Viggo. But- but maybe it will be a good detour?”
Viggo tilted his head, steel eyes full of quiet wisdom. “Take it slow... one day at a time and see... that’s all anyone can do.”
“I’ve been living one day at a time for years, Viggo, I think I can manage it for a little while longer.” He smiled slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Viggo’s chin.
“How long do you have free?” Viggo asked, thinking of Elijah’s phone call.
Elijah sighed, eyes darting over at his bag and sighed again. “A few days... a week at most.” He sighed yet again and pressed his face into Viggo’s shoulder. “I want more time with you.” Silently he added, “With myself.”
“My ranch is very secluded and certainly a good place to hide your cell phone. You can hike for hours along trails, go sit beneath a tree for an afternoon and generally be free.” Viggo hugged Elijah gently, the touch friendly.
“I would love to visit your ranch,Viggo, if you’ll have me?”
“For as long as you want to stay,” Viggo said, tightening his hold for a moment. He fluffed Elijah’s hair. “You want to go take a shower?”
“I don’t know if we need another one.” Elijah grinned at Viggo, nuzzling his shoulder lightly. “Do- do you want to leave now?” He gave Viggo a highly suggestive look. “I can think of other things to be doing...”
“Elijah... I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Viggo said hesitantly. “When you were an anonymous hitchhiker, I could justify it to myself. Now... you’re more than that... I don’t want to do this for the wrong reasons.”
Elijah stared at Viggo in confused disbelief. “You... because you know who I am, you don’t think it’s right to have sex with me?” It denigrated what they had shared to call it sex, but he was not bold enough to call it love, particularly after being turned down.
“I’m offering you more than sex,” Viggo said softly. “I’d hope you would see my friendship as being worth more. And I’m not denying there is something between us... something that made me offer Jordan a place to live, no matter who he was. But I want you to know who you are and who I am, before we just tumble back into bed together.”
Elijah actually pouted at Viggo’s words, sighing deeply. “I- I understand what you just said... it’s just... being with you last night... it was glorious, the most amazing night of my life... and I don’t want to lose that, although I do want to get to know you better, much better.”
The pout brought a smile to Viggo’s face. “Why would we lose that?” Viggo asked gently. He touched the pouting lower lip with a thumb tip.
“Cause a lot of that is being able to touch you... I... not just the... more stuff...” He really did not want to say sex to describe it again. “But... I’m- I am a very physical person... its going to be very hard not to touch you.”
“Who said you can’t touch?” Viggo asked, fluffing Elijah’s hair. “I’d not deny either of us the joy of touching.”
Sighing softly, Elijah turned his head and pressed a kiss to Viggo’s palm before laying his head against Viggo’s chest. “I... Do you want to get going for your place? Cause if you do, I need to get some clothing on.”
“Yes, I would, Elijah. It’s a bit of a drive. We can talk on the way, or just sit and watch the road go by... whatever you want.”
Elijah wondered if this, whatever this was, really could survive his life. But he was determined to find out. Elijah snuggled into Viggo’s chest and breathed deeply before sitting up and nodding. He brushed a quick kiss over Viggo’s lips, but was up and getting his clothes before Viggo could react.
Viggo watched his new- friend? lover?- with gentle concern. He did not think Elijah really needed him as much as he needed a place to discover himself. And Viggo could offer him that at least. He shimmied off the bed and searched for a clean shirt under his art supplies, glad to find an old one tucked away. He smiled, remembering how Henry laughed at his father’s battered clothes.
Elijah pulled on the sweat pants he changed into for dinner the night before, adding a hooded sweater. His clothes, still wet from the day before were shoved into a plastic bag before being packed away in his backpack. He added the press kit and was done. Blinking a few times, he realized that he had not taken his contacts out the night before. “Um... I... I need to do something...”
“All right.” Viggo opened the door and hauled his art supplies back to the truck throwing them behind the front seat. His old backpack followed on the heap. “There.”
Elijah came out a few moments later, a pair of black rimmed glasses sitting on his nose as he slid into the truck, his backpack joining Viggo’s. “Still want to share your home with a bat?”
The glasses gave Viggo a start, before he laughed and leaned over impulsively to kiss Elijah. “You look cute.”
Elijah laughed softly, shaking his head only after he’d returned the kiss. “I’m glad you think so... most people seem to think they hide my best feature.”
“Your best feature?” Viggo asked, turning over the motor and pulling slowly out of the parking lot.
“My eyes?” Elijah looked at Viggo for a long moment. “They did make me after all. Without them, I’m just a geek.” He seemed quite used to this, almost happy with it.
“Your best features are your heart and soul,” Viggo quoted with a little smile. The truck splashed through a puddle, one of the few signs of the storm from the previous day. The sun shone brightly down on the town as they drove away. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“Who said that?” Elijah snuggled into the seat, remembering the trip the day before, the rain and the cold and Viggo’s incredible kindness. “I’d love something to eat... I don’t think we ate as much as we exercised.”
“I thought you stocked away enough Chinese food for both of us,” Viggo teased. He slowed down and stopped in front of a small diner downtown. “Come on, I’ll let you buy me some pancakes and eggs.”
Elijah stuck his tongue out at Viggo. “Will you just...” He leaned over and kissed Viggo before hopping out of the car, swinging his bag into his hand as he quite deliberately walked away from Viggo, hips swaying just enough to remind Viggo of the night before.
The truck door swung shut with a bang behind Viggo, as he trotted a few steps to catch up with Elijah. He very deliberately reached down and pinched Elijah’s ass, before opening the door to let him in. “Will I what?”
“Let” -he emphasized the word deliberately- “me get you breakfast?”
Viggo grinned and winked at the waitress, before indicating a table near the back. Once seated, menus in hand and steaming coffee before them, he said, “I figure I can live very well off your income.”
Elijah looked completely stunned for several long moments, before he burst out laughing. It took him several minutes to get himself under control, but when he did Elijah could not help but comment, “You and half the state.”
Laughing a little with him, Viggo ended up look smug and content all in one. “You’re lovely when you laugh. Do it more often.”
Elijah stuck his tongue out at Viggo, but he smiled happily at the other man, clearly feeling quite content and relaxed. “I’ll try and remember that.” Shaking his head, he took a look at his menu before announcing, “I want a farm hand platter.”
“Two large slices of ham, three strips of bacon, three sausages, two eggs and a side order of hash browns... why am I not surprised?” Viggo drawled.
“You forgot the fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and stack with syrup.” Elijah smiled at him sweetly.
“I’m going to have the granola with strawberries,” Viggo said, putting his menu on the side of the table. “Just thinking of you eating all that is making me full.”
“That’s not a healthy breakfast, Viggy!” Elijah shook his finger at Viggo. “You need to have something more.”
The right eyebrow shot back up for the hairline. “That’s a very healthy breakfast, young man. Especially for an older gentleman trying to maintain his weight and appearance, so he can continue to pick up pretty young hitchhikers.”
Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t need to be worrying about other hitchhikers, remember?”
The waitress took their order in the bored way of so many waitresses, before Viggo turned back to Elijah. “Do I get a written guarantee on that? A contract in blood or something?”
Elijah looked across the table at Viggo, expression very serious as he asked, “Do you really need one?”
Viggo reached out to took Elijah’s hand in his larger, calloused one. “No.”
Elijah smiled at him so brightly it was as if the sun was coming up again, curling his fingers into Viggo’s and slowly stroking Viggo’s wrist with his thumb.
The waitress cleared her throat in an odd manner, setting down Viggo’s orange juice and granola. The look she shot them clearly disapproved, but Viggo rolled his eyes at her behind her back. “Some people just have to have something to think badly of.”
Elijah just shook his head. “I know... one of the worst things about the human race is the need to judge other people... I hate it.”
“Yet, I am sure you have been guilty of it yourself,” Viggo said mildly. “As I have as well.”
“I’m sure I have... I’ve even done it to myself.”
“And what judgment have you passed on yourself, Elijah Wood?” Viggo asked, making the name a title more than a name.
“That I don’t like me.”
A flicker of concern turned into something deeper, as Viggo leaned forward to examine the eyes behind Elijah’s glasses more closely. “What a terrible thing to say, Elijah. Why would you even think such a thing?”
“Because it’s true, there are times with I dislike Elijah so much I can’t even be him anymore.” He spoke softly, a little sadly.
“Why?” Viggo pressed, his fingers rubbing Elijah’s soothingly.
“Elijah Wood can be so unreal it hurts to pretend anymore.” Elijah shook his head and sighed, taking a long drink of his coffee.
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Viggo said. “I don’t know who Elijah Wood is in any sense.”
“Maybe- maybe neither do I.” Elijah sighed softly, looking down at the table. “I have to find out you know... being with you, I ... I like this person.”
“No better place to find yourself then on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. It’s just you, the horses, nature and your thoughts.”
“And you.” Elijah then realized what Viggo had said and grinned. “Horses??” He looked at Viggo hopefully.
“The true rulers of the ranch, no matter what I may say,” Viggo said. “There’s TJ, Urias, Euripedes and Silas.”
“I love riding... I learned on Rings...” He looked at Viggo, almost bouncing in his seat at just the thought of getting to ride again.
“Silas is a sweet horse, an old chestnut Quarter Horse. TJ is a bratty little paint with a streak of larceny in his heart. Urias is a patient sport horse, who will put up with any kind of ride. And Euripedes will toss you in a coyote bush if you do not ride him correctly.”
“Ride correctly huh? I was taught, so hopefully he won’t toss me, if you let me ride him that is.” Elijah grinned just a little shyly. “I think I like the sound of TJ to be honest.”
“You’re welcome to ride any of the four, though I love Urias best myself. His heart is as big as the sky itself.” Viggo dug into his granola, as Elijah’s food arrived on a huge platter. The waitress set down their check and marched away without another word. Viggo waved three fingers at her cheekily and kept right on plowing through his bowl of fruit and grain.
Giving Viggo a happy smile, ELijah tugged his hand away. “Thank you...” And then he started eating. There was no more talking, there was not even thinking as he ate every scrap of food on his plate with true hunger.
The food on Elijah’s plate seemed to evaporate as Viggo watched in disbelief. His own remaining breakfast remained untouched, forgotten at the sight of this amazing spectacle. He wanted to photograph Elijah eating, the concentration on his face intense and almost frightening. His tongue snuck up to lick his scar in thought, as he wondered if he could capture that determination in a drawing or abstract art.
Elijah sat back with a happy sigh, taking Viggo’s orange juice and taking a healthy swallow before asking teasingly, “Are you gonna finish that?”
“No. Now I know I’m full. That was... disgustingly entrancing.”
Elijah laughed, throwing his head back and just letting the sound spring free.
Viggo picked up the check and paid without a thought. “Come on, Elijah, before you decide to order lunch now, too.”
“I thought I was buying.” Elijah did not complain, but he did go to the counter and order a couple of drinks and pieces of pie for them to snack on as the day went on. Paying, he grabbed the food and followed Viggo out. “Soooo... what was so disgusting about it?”
“Your food never stood a chance... didn’t even know what hit it,” Viggo said with a look of wonder at Elijah. “One moment, it all sat happily on the plate and the next, WHOOSH!, it was no more.”
“Would it have been kinder to play with it? Let it think it had a chance and then realize its end had come?”
Viggo snickered at the idea and then turned to face Elijah. “So, is it the sex that keeps you in such great shape then, or do you have the metabolism of a gerbil?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how long it was before you... I have a good metabolism, but I also work out. I don’t wanna get pudgy.”
Viggo reached down and pinched Elijah’s slight tummy. “I like a little flesh, gives me something to hold on to and hug.” He twisted his head to kiss Elijah with soft care.
Elijah shimmed at the pinch, kissing Viggo back just a little aggressively. “I don’t want to be a stick figure, just not pudgy either. Don’t want to give you splinters when we snuggle or anything.”
“Easy,” Viggo mumbled at the aggressive kiss. He rubbed Elijah’s side and then started the truck with a rumble. “I’ll have to buy a lot of extra groceries for you.”
Elijah nodded. “Good idea... I can eat a lot you know...” He snuggled into the door of the car. “Mind if I put some of my music on?”
“I don’t know if it’s safe to say no or yes to that question,” Viggo mumbled. He gestured to the radio system with a resigned air. “Go ahead.”
Elijah grinned and delved into his bag, pulling out a random CD and slipping it into the player. He almost laughed when the music that resulted was a Beatles album.
“And I’m too old-fashioned for you?” Viggo questioned with a little smile of pleasure. He drove out of town and then sped up to a comfortable sixty-five on the highway. He sang along with the songs, his voice pitched low and sweet.
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