Fic: Controlled 14/45

[v-angelique.livejournal.com]

Title: Controlled (14/45)
Author: Viktoria Angelique
Email: viktoria_angelique@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17 for series, PG-13 for this part
Pairing: Elijah/Viggo
Warnings: BDSM overall, none this part
Disclaimer: If this were true the world might be a better place.
Feedback: I love it!
Summary: Elijah meets Henry.

Previous Chapters







“So do you want to tell me what all this is about?” Viggo asked when Elijah ran to his car, hurriedly, and hopped in the passenger side without even giving Viggo the chance to think about getting up and coming to the door. A tall man with a young girl in his arms stood inside the screen door, looking out with an apparently critical gaze, but did not leave the house, and Elijah just ran his hand through his hair, looking nervous.

“Just drive. I’ll tell you about it on the way. You mind if I smoke?” he asked, not waiting for an answer as he tapped a fag out of the pack in his pocket. He was about to bring it to his lips when Viggo’s hand stopped him, removing the cigarette from his fingers and sliding it easily back in the pack.

“Yes.” Viggo’s tone was gentle, but his eyes had a hint of warning in them. “Elijah, take a few deep breaths, and then tell me what the hell is going on.”

Elijah nodded, nervously, afraid to meet Viggo’s eyes as they pulled out of his neighbourhood, and breathed in slowly. Damn, how he wanted that cigarette. “I’m sorry, Vig,” he began. “I want you to come meet my family sometime, but now’s not the best time.”

“That’s fine, Elijah,” Viggo replied, reaching out to squeeze Elijah’s knee in reassurance. “Who was that in the door, though?”

“Oh, that was Zach,” Elijah replied with a dejected sigh. “He’s… well let’s just say he’s not too happy about you. That’s why I couldn’t get his car to come see you and Henry.” Viggo nodded, not commenting, and the car was silent for a moment as Elijah considered how best to continue. “It’s not… it’s not that Zach’s a bad guy, you know. He’s a great brother. He just worries about me, and besides that… well I get the feeling this isn’t really about me. Zach doesn’t like Hollywood, not really, and I’m beginning to see just how much he resents me for moving us out here.”

Elijah paused a second and smiled at the comforting touch of Viggo’s thumb, drawing small circles on Elijah’s knee as he pulled onto the motorway. “I think it’s just… well when I told him that I’m dating someone, and I wanted to go meet his son while I’m in LA, he kind of freaked out. I guess this is what he fears about Hollywood, you know, the ‘weirdness’ as he puts it. He’s freaking out because his baby brother is dating an actor twice his age, and that’s not something he really wants to deal with right now, having just established himself with a nice, ‘normal’ family despite the whole LA thing.”

“Does it bother him that it’s a male actor, you think?” Viggo asked, not taking his eyes away from the road but still absently rubbing Elijah’s knee through the denim.

“No. He said that he doesn’t care if I’m gay or straight or whatever, and I believe him on that,” Elijah acquiesced. “It’s just… I guess it wouldn’t be so ‘weird’ if I were to hook up with some twenty-year old guy, even an actor… I mean if I brought Orlando home, he probably wouldn’t think twice.” Viggo laughed aloud at the suggestion, and after a moment, Elijah joined him, trying to imagine the hyperactive Brit showing up to meet Elijah’s family. Personally, Elijah thought they had less to worry about with Viggo. “Well, you know what I mean. He’s just protective.”

“And how does that make you feel?” Viggo asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“I… well it makes me mad, obviously,” Elijah replied. “I don’t want Zach controlling my life. We got into a bit of a row yesterday about it, but I think it’s less that he’s mad at me for dating you and more that he thinks I’ve brought him into this weird, perverted lifestyle.”

“Do you ever feel like that about yourself?” Viggo asked.

“Not really,” Elijah replied honestly. “I mean yeah, I understand how it might seem a little strange to other people that I would want to date you, but I don’t really give a shit what they think.” Viggo smiled, but remained silent. “I guess it bothers me that this whole thing is clearly about something else entirely, and he’s taking it out on you. And I want him to meet you. I want all of them to meet you, especially Hannah, but I’m afraid that if Zach does he’s going to be so confused by his stupid Hollywood perception he has that he won’t give you the time of day.”

“Well you never know until it happens,” Viggo reasoned, but Elijah’s lips remained set in a tight line.

“I guess not, but… well Zach just brought up some things, trying to make me feel guilty. He acts like I was the darling child and he just had to follow me along, but that’s not it at all. I mean he’s seven years older than me, for Christ’s sake! Does he even know how envious I was of his life in Cedar Rapids? Zach was great as a teenager, always popular in high school and going on plenty of dates… he had his chance to shine, and he was eighteen when we left. He had every right to leave LA, but it was his choice to come along, and his choice to stay. He makes video games, you know, and this is the best place to do it. So I don’t see how it’s my fault at all. He acts like I had it so easy…”

“And how did you have it?” Viggo prodded, sensing Elijah’s resentment.

“I… well maybe he’s partially fair, I mean my family did make a lot of sacrifices…” Elijah reasoned.

“Elijah. I didn’t ask you to make excuses for your brother. I want to know how you felt.” Viggo gave Elijah a pointed look, and Elijah let out a shaky breath, nodding.

“I guess… well most of my family was supportive, but my dad… I don’t think Zach knows the half of it. I mean my dad hated LA, and I know it was because of me that he came, and because of me that he… well, that he left.”

“Elijah. Your parents’ divorce wasn’t your fault,” Viggo replied gently.

“How do you know?” Elijah insisted, his eyes suddenly a little wild. “If it weren’t for me, we’d all still be back in Cedar Rapids. Dad would still be detached, like he always is, but he’d be happy enough, and with mom…”

“How do you know that?” Viggo asked.

“I just do, okay?!” Elijah inhaled sharply, tapping his fingers on the knee that Viggo wasn’t grasping with his free hand. “Can we please just drop this?”

“Elijah. I only want to understand,” Viggo replied gently.

“I… I know. I get it. I just, I’ve been over this a thousand times in my head. I think I’ve got a pretty clear handle on it,” Elijah reasoned.

“Not necessarily. Our demons only grow when we keep them inside our heads. Maybe you do need to talk this out with someone objective,” Viggo pointed out.

“I… I don’t know, Viggo. Maybe I do, but can we not do this now? I’m already nervous as hell about meeting Henry and Exene. What kind of a name is that, anyway? I’m imagining this crazy cat-woman looking lady who’s going to jump out of her house with claws and attack me.” Viggo grinned and squeezed Elijah’s hand.

“I’m sure they’ll love you, Henry especially, if you’re half the video game geek that I think you are. And if it makes you feel better, Exene’s not her real name. I don’t call her that, in fact. It’s Christine,” Viggo explained.

“Oh… well that’s… normal.”

Viggo smiled and reached out to ruffle Elijah’s hair gently as he pulled off onto an exit ramp. “You’re going to be fine, Elijah. I’ve told Henry that I have a special friend I’d like him to meet, and that you’re playing Frodo. He’s more excited than anything that he gets to have lunch with Frodo Baggins.”

Elijah giggled, watching though the window as they manoeuvred into a nice neighbourhood with houses made of stucco and painted bright, pastel colours. “Well I hope he still likes me when he realises that I’m really just an American klutz with a penchant for making an ass of myself,” he joked.

Viggo just smiled, speaking softly. “You’re not an ass, Elijah. You’re the most engaging man I know.”

Elijah pondered those words as Viggo pulled into a driveway, and continued to turn them over in his head as he got out of the car and checked his hair in the window’s reflection. ‘Engaging.’ Viggo had a habit of making somewhat disarming compliments, and Elijah was used to it, but he had never heard such an adjective applied to himself. ‘Engaging.’ Well, it sounded like a good thing, at least.

Viggo gave Elijah a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand one last time as they stood on the porch, then dropped it to ring the doorbell. A thundering of feet sounded from the inside, presumably from someone on the stairs, and the door flung open to reveal a somewhat scruffy looking boy with an awful haircut and an oversized San Lorenzo football jersey that was identical to the one Elijah had frequently seen Viggo in.

“Hey, Dad!” Viggo grinned and bent over as the boy wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, leaving Elijah standing on the porch smiling softly at his first vision of Viggo acting as a dad. The boy didn’t really resemble Viggo at all, except in his wide smile, a spitting image of the one Viggo used, only on occasion, to communicate real happiness. Elijah had witnessed that smile a few times, and was always overjoyed when it was turned towards him.

“Vig, is that you, darling?”

Elijah sucked in a breath at the gravely feminine voice that called from the back of the house. So this was the woman that Viggo had married. Elijah stood up a little straighter, tugged self-consciously on his shirt, and momentarily wondered if this was such a good idea after all.

“Chris! You look great,” Viggo praised, sweeping the lithe woman in the foyer into a hug as soon as he let go of his son. If Henry was unintimidating, a little chubby and a little messy, this Christine woman was the picture of perfection, and Elijah suddenly felt a bit like a child. Then Viggo turned, suddenly, and addressed Elijah.

“Lijah, what are you doing standing there on the porch still?” he teased with a jovial grin. “Christine, Henry, I’d like you to meet a very good friend of mine. This is Elijah Wood.”

Elijah smiled nervously and stepped inside the house to shake the perfectly manicured hand that Christine offered him, not missing her gently appraising look in the slightest. Henry, however, made Elijah feel a bit more comfortable after fixing him with a similar look and apparently approving.

“Dad says you like video games. Do you have a Playstation?” Elijah grinned and nodded at the boy who was, sadly, almost his height at eleven.

“I left it in New Zealand, but Dom and Orli and I play all the time. What’s your favourite game?”

“Final Fantasy VII, definitely. You play it?” Henry asked, and Elijah grinned.

“Of course, all the time. You have eight yet, though?” Elijah asked.

“Just got it for Christmas, along with Tony Hawk,” Henry affirmed.

“Excellent! I’ve heard Tony Hawk’s brilliant. I don’t have it yet though; it just came out when I was in New Zealand.”

“Oh you have to try it! Maybe you can come over some time and play with me. Can he, mom?” Henry pleaded.

Christine smiled and nodded, giving Viggo a knowing look as the two moved into a discussion on the finer points of strategy. “That’s quite a kid you’ve found there, Vig,” she commented in a low tone when it was clear neither Henry nor Elijah was really paying attention to them.

“He’s amazing,” Viggo agreed, thrilled that Henry seemed to be taking to Elijah so well. “Not so much of a kid as you would think, though,” he added. Christine just raised an eyebrow, but Viggo didn’t appear all too eager to go into it, and she didn’t push. “All right, guys! Who’s hungry?” Viggo interrupted suddenly, reaching out to ruffle Henry’s hair and having his hand smacked indignantly in return.

“Daadd! Quit it!”

“Well are you coming or not? We’ll go to Tony's if you’re good,” Viggo suggested.

“Okay, but I’m not eight anymore, Dad. You don’t have to use the ‘if you’re good’ tactic on me,” Henry pointed out. Viggo just rolled his eyes in Christine’s direction and gently pushed Henry in the direction of the door, Elijah following obediently behind.

“It was nice to meet you, Elijah,” Christine commented as they headed for the car, and Elijah smiled and turned around to give her a wave in return, sliding into the backseat when Henry enthusiastically called shotgun.

“So what’s Tony's?” Elijah asked as they pulled out of the driveway.

“Only the best restaurant ever!” Henry commented enthusiastically. “You get, like, a mountain of fries with every burger.”

“Henry, please don’t say like unless there’s an actual simile involved,” Viggo chided automatically.

“Oh come on, Dad!” Henry whinged.

“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. No son of mine will grow up sounding like a Valley girl,” Viggo stated firmly. Elijah hid his grin with the back of his hand at Viggo’s no-nonsense tone, and Henry just grumbled in the front seat.

“Hey Elijah?” Henry suddenly asked, twisting around in his seat to the protest of his seatbelt.

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t Frodo supposed to be, like, fifty?” Henry pointed out. “You’re definitely not fifty.”

Elijah laughed. “No, not quite. But then, Aragorn’s supposed to be about eighty, isn’t he? And your dad isn’t quite that old.”

“Eh, close,” Henry joked, and Viggo just smacked his shoulder playfully, getting a whack back in return.

“Hey! No hitting the driver!” Viggo protested.

“No hitting the innocent child!” Henry shot back, and Viggo just rolled his eyes. “So Elijah, do you get to play with swords and stuff?”

“Not really,” Elijah admitted. “The hobbits had training but we never use it. Your dad’s an excellent swordsman, though.” Viggo met Elijah’s eyes in the rear view mirror and smiled.

“Yeah, so he says,” Henry replied, sounding unconvinced. “But he wouldn’t bring his sword home to show me any moves.”

Elijah laughed. “Well customs gets a little annoyed when you try to import weapons, you know.”

“Whatever. Dad’s a famous actor. I don’t see why they can’t let the rules slide.” Viggo snorted, and Elijah just smiled.

“It’s LAX, Henry. They see famous actors every day, and I’m not really one of them,” Viggo pointed out.

“Yeah, well. I bet Elijah could get a sword in. He’s famous, aren’t you Elijah?”

Elijah laughed at Henry and shook his head. “Not really, man. Not enough to be breaking international laws quite yet.”

“You were in The Faculty. Mom wouldn’t let me see it because it’s rated R, but one of my friends told me it was wicked cool. Lots of guts and stuff,” Henry enthused.

Elijah grinned at Henry’s enthusiasm for gore, something Elijah had never quite shared at his age, but then, he grew up around fake blood and breakaway glass. “There were a lot of guts. It was a fun movie, but I think Rings is going to be cooler. And probably PG-13.”

“I’m not thirteen yet, though,” Henry pointed out.

“Oh, right. Well I’m sure you can go to the premiere with your dad, yeah? And you’ll probably be old enough by the time the first one comes out, anyway,” Elijah reasoned.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hey, did you bring the ring back with you?” Henry asked, eyes lighting up again. Elijah hated to disappoint the kid.

“No, sorry. They kept them back on set.” Henry’s face fell and Elijah had to resist the urge to giggle. “But it’s really not that spectacular. I mean, it’s just a ring. They’ll make it look cool with effects and things in post production.”

“Oh.” Henry looked thoughtful for a moment. “But you’ll show me if I visit, right?”

“Of course. I’m sure you’ll get to see all sorts of cool stuff,” Elijah assured him.

“Awesome! Mom says I can probably go while I’m on summer vacation, if I want to. I’ve never been to New Zealand before.”

“It’s brilliant. I’m sure you’ll love it. All the people too, I’m sure your dad’s told you about,” Elijah added.

“Yeah, some. I know Liv Tyler’s in it. I saw her in Armageddon… that was a pretty cool movie, except for Ben Affleck. He’s kind of a tool,” Henry added with a grin.

Elijah laughed and wondered if Henry was supposed to be using such insults. “Well, I mean I’ve never met him, but I doubt he’s that bad…”

“Oh, he is,” Viggo commented with a grin in the mirror at Elijah. “I’ve met him; in fact I believe Henry got the ‘tool’ comment from me.”

Elijah laughed and Henry gave him an ‘I told you so’ look. “I still think they should have gotten famous people for the hobbits, though,” Henry added. “I mean, besides you. I’d never even heard of Dominic Monaghan or Billy Boyd before Dad told me about them.”

“Yeah, but they’re brilliant actors,” Elijah replied, defending his co-stars. “Not to mention the best friends anyone could ever want on set. They’re hilarious guys.”

“I figured Dad was your best friend on set,” Henry said with a confused look. “That’s what he said, or that you’re very close friends.”

“Oh…” Elijah paused a bit, looking at Viggo in the mirror for help, but Viggo just looked genuinely curious as to how Elijah would handle this. “Well, your Dad and I are very good friends, but we do different things together. Like the hobbits and Orlando Bloom and I, we play video games a lot…”

“…and Dad sucks at video games,” Henry added.

Elijah grinned, relieved, and nodded. “Exactly.”

“So what do you and Dad do? Just make out a lot?”

Elijah’s breath caught in his throat, and he knew he was staring, but what could he say to that? Henry was eleven years old, and he was pretty sure that at eleven he wouldn’t have drawn such conclusions on his own. Unless Viggo had said something…

“Henry.” Viggo’s tone was a clear warning, and Elijah had always been quick to obey when Viggo said his own name in that tone. Henry, however, was evidently used to it.

“Oh, come on, Dad. I’m not a little kid. Besides, I saw you guys out the window when you walked up to the house. You were holding hands,” Henry explained.

Elijah was glad that Henry was looking at Viggo in that moment, and not him, because he was starting to feel a little claustrophobic, and his hands were going decidedly clammy. He wondered if jumping out of the backseat of a moving car on the motorway would be enough to kill him, and was about to test his theory when Henry continued.

“It’s not that I care, okay? I mean, all the speeches mom’s given me, not to mention my friends, about ‘it doesn’t matter who you love or how you love them blah blah blah,’ I figured someone in the family must be gay.”

“I’m not gay, Henry,” Viggo corrected, his eyes focused on the road.

“What are you, then?” Henry asked.

“I…” Viggo didn’t seem to have an answer to that, really, and Elijah felt quite sorry for him. Never mind how he was feeling, this was Viggo’s son, and damn, how hard must that be? “Henry, it’s kind of more complicated than that. Elijah and I have started dating, but that’s pretty much all you need to know.”

“I’m not mad, okay? I just don’t get how it’s complicated. Either you’re gay, or you’re not. I don’t care if you’re dating Elijah; he’s cool.” Elijah smiled weakly at the comment. Well, that was something. “I just don’t get it. Didn’t you love Mom, before?”

“Yes, Henry. You know I did. I loved your mom very much,” Viggo replied honestly.

“And now you love Elijah?” Henry asked.

“I…” Viggo risked a look at Elijah in the mirror, and Elijah gave him a taste of his own medicine, looking quite curious. Viggo, however, had a lot more practice with the natural curiosity of an eleven-year old boy. “Elijah and I just started dating, Henry. It’s obviously not the same thing as a marriage that lasted years and resulted in an extremely inquisitive son.”

Henry rolled his eyes, clearly not satisfied but knowing he wasn’t going to get a better answer. “You’re bisexual then, right?”

“I… maybe. I’m not sure I really believe in labels like that, but for the sake of simplicity, I suppose we’ll say I’m bisexual,” Viggo conceded.

“God, Dad, you’re such a hippie. What about you, then?” Henry asked, suddenly swivelling around in his seat and making Elijah feel like the spotlight had just been shifted to him.

“Uh… yeah, that, too, I guess,” Elijah stammered.

“You like girls?” Henry asked.

“I’ve dated a few,” Elijah replied, dodging the question.

“Henry. Quit giving Elijah the third degree,” Viggo warned, and Elijah was intensely grateful for that.

“I’m not giving him the third degree, I’m just curious! Look, if you like each other, that’s cool and all. Like I said, I don’t care. Just don’t, like, make out in front of me. That’s so gross…”

“Henry, honestly,” Viggo sighed. “When have I ever made out in front of you?”

“Um, Dad, seven years old, kitchen, just came home from…”

“Okay, and here I was hoping you’d buried that memory like a good little traumatized son.” Elijah smiled, watching Viggo’s cheeks turn a distinct shade of red. He had never actually seen Viggo blush before, he realised. It was a good look on him.

“Whatever. Elijah, you know I’m still going to kick your butt at Final Fantasy, right?” Henry suddenly asserted.

Elijah grinned at the comfortable change of subject, and tried to remember a time when he was that flighty. “Oh you are on, little man…”

Viggo just rolled his eyes, pulled into the burger joint, and prepared himself to enjoy lunch with his two favourite teenagers.