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fellowshippers2002-07-20 05:40 pm
lazulus) wrote in fellowshippers2002-07-20 05:40 pm
Fic: Tenterhooks
Title: Tenterhooks (1/1)
Author: Jaq
Pairing: OB/EW
Rating: PG
Archiving: Beyond the Fellowship, anyone else just ask
Summary: Orlando confesses, and Elijah worries again
Disclaimer: Very much the product of my warped and twisted mind and I'm sure that these nice boys would never even think of doing anything like this.
Notes: UK spelling. Yet more fluff. This is the third and final piece of the sequence that started with 'Citrus' and then continued with ‘Metaphors and Camomile Lawns’. This is for Jenwyn, for being a wonderful beta - bless her and all who sail in her!
Feedback: Appreciated
Orlando woke up to the sound of a telephone ringing. He hardly had time to think that he should really get up and answer it, when it stopped and the sound of a woman's voice filtered through the air. Liv's voice. Oh yeah. He was at Liv's. He yawned and stretched and sat up. Liv's couch. Oh. Now he remembered. He smiled to himself. Honey. Camomile. Elijah.
Liv had her back to the kitchen door and was cradling the phone by her left ear, rummaging around in the cupboards looking for something. "Sounds great… Yeah… No, he's still asleep… That'll be cool… No, it's ok, I'll bring my own, that way I can escape if I get too hobbitted out." She laughed and continued, "So, I'll see you later… Yeah, he can come with me or, if he's awake in time, I'll tell him to call you. OK? Bye, Bill."
Liv hung up the phone and turned round to see Orlando framed in the doorway. "Oh hey, sweetie! You're awake!" She moved to him and placed a soft dry kiss on his lips. "I'm going to the beach with the Hobbits, wanna come?"
"Sure,” Orlando smiled. “that'd be great. We'll have to swing by my place and get my stuff though, if that's ok?"
"No problem. So, anyway, what time did you get to sleep last night?" Liv moved back to the counter and continued to search for whatever was eluding her. "Hell! Orli, you don't know where the honey is, do you?"
"Oh." Orlando felt the blush creeping up his neck. He smiled vaguely at Liv and gave a small, rather embarrassed shrug. "Erm, well, funnily enough..." He trailed off and turned back to the sitting room. Liv stared after him with a confused look on her face.
Orlando came back into the kitchen and handed Liv the now empty honey-pot, smiling sheepishly.
Liv raised her eyebrows. "So, what exactly were you doing last night? Or maybe I really don't want to know." She shook her head at him and grinned. "Hey!" Orlando could almost see the light-bulb appear over Liv's head. "How the hell did Elijah know you were here?"
"Elijah? But you were talking to Bill, weren't you?" It was Orlando's turn to look confused.
“Yeah, he’s at Elijah’s.” Liv stared hard at Orlando then gasped. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Oh. My. God! You and Elijah?"
"What?" Orlando squeaked.
"Oh my God! He was here! I knew! I totally knew!" Liv was practically bouncing around the kitchen in glee.
"No!" Orlando yelled at her. "I mean, yeah, he was here. But, nothing happened. He just dropped by late last night to see you. We had tea! Then..." He trailed off again.
"Then.... what?!" Liv stopped and waited, hands on hips.
Orlando tried to calm the queasy feeling in his stomach. "Then, nothing. Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen. I mean - I don't know! It's just - I don't know... Fuck!" He slumped into a chair and put his head on the table.
Liv gaped at him. "You FUCKED?!"
Orlando's head shot up. "No! I didn't say that! Liv!"
Liv put her arms around him. "Orlando, I love you. I love Elijah. And you know what? You two would make a totally gorgeous couple. And well, frankly you're driving the rest of us fucking crazy!" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Do you have *any* idea how completely bizarrely the two of you have been acting around each other recently? It is *so* totally obvious that you are just desperate to fuck each others brains out!"
"It is?" Orlando stared at her. "I mean, I keep wondering if he's interested. And he acts it sometimes, kind of. But then he's all casual again and I get completely thrown. I mean, he's pretty flirty with everyone." He sighed, "It's not like if he were a girl, then I'd be fine. I can *do* girls!"
Liv snorted. "Well, sadly for you - or maybe not, er, I dunno." She shook herself and continued, "Anyway, Elijah is definitely *not* a girl! But, that doesn't mean that you can't use the same techniques. So, why don't you just, you know, ask him if he'd like to," Liv scrunched up her face, thought hard for a moment and finally said, "well, if he'd like to go on a date?" Looking thoroughly pleased with herself, she let go of Orlando and straightened up. "Perfect. That's what you should do. A date. Now - let's go shoot the tube!"
By the time Orlando and Liv arrived at the beach, the others were already out in the surf. They found Viggo sitting by some rocks, a notepad open in front of him.
"Hey! Didn't know you were coming!" Liv skipped over to him and kissed him delicately on the cheek.
“Well,” Viggo looked up at them with his usual calm, quirky smile, “Hobbits prevailed – or at least the promise of sun, sand and being left to my own devices did.”
Orlando leaned over and placed a light, soft kiss on the older man's lips. At this, Viggo raised his eyebrows and laughed.
Liv rolled her eyes. "Oh, ignore him, Viggo, he's just trying to make someone jealous!"
Orlando spun round and glared at her, "Liv!"
"And there I was thinking you were overcome by my masculine charm." Viggo grinned at him.
Liv had the grace to look abashed. "Sorry, Orli. Mouth running ahead of my brain as usual. Anyway, Vig is the soul of discretion, aren't you, dear?"
"Absolutely. I never gossip." At this solemn pronouncement, Liv and Orlando cracked up. Viggo feigned hurt and then joined in the laughter.
"What's the joke?"
Orlando turn round to see Elijah standing a few feet away, dripping wet, hair slicked down against his scalp, wetsuit tight against his body, thumb of his left hand in his mouth worrying the nail. Fuck! Orlando thought, sex on a stick.
Orlando grinned at Elijah, Elijah grinned back. Liv turned back to Viggo and mouthed at him very pointedly, "I. Think. It's. Love!" Viggo shook his head at her and smiled at the two young men beaming at each other.
"Hey, Orli." Elijah was buzzing. For a while he'd thought that Orlando would cry off coming along today. After last night, just the thought of seeing his friend almost made him want to throw up. Last night had been - weird, exciting, confusing, thrilling. Elijah told himself to breathe. Fuck. He should have kissed him. But that had seemed far too scary. Fuck. He *really* should have kissed him. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and very stupid. He also realised that he didn't want to be standing here, being stared at by three very astute pairs of eyes.
"Well, ah. Oh. OK! I'll, you know, catch you later. Ok?" And with that, Elijah hurried away along the beach towards the next cove.
Orlando turned to Liv and Viggo. "What the fuck?" He turned back to stare after Elijah. "What the hell happened there?" Then he turned again to the two people looking at him with concern etched on their faces. "Did I say something? I didn't say anything! Fuck!" He squinted after the retreating back, shook his head and followed the young man who was disappearing over the rocks away from them.
Orlando caught up with Elijah a few hundred yards away, sitting on the sand out of sight of the others, hugging his knees, staring at the horizon.
"Elijah," Orlando tried to sound calm, "what the hell was all that about?"
A pair of mournful eyes flickered down and then back up at Orlando. "I... Oh shit. I just flipped. All this stuff started going through my head and then I just kinda freaked. Sorry. I am. Really sorry. I just can't do this."
"Do what?" Orlando knelt down in front of the him and leaned forward so that his eyes were level with the younger man's. "Do what? You don't have to *do* anything."
"I wished I'd kissed you." It came out in a rush of words. Elijah blushed and then smiled vaguely at Orlando. "But, just the thought of that was so fucking terrifying. I mean, I'm not a child! It's not like I'm some little innocent who's never been into anyone. Never kissed anyone. Never fucked anyone. But... this is different. It's different because it's you." He finished speaking, shrugged, and smiled faintly.
Shuffling forward so that he was closer to the bundled up figure in front of him, Orlando wrapped his arms around Elijah's legs and settled his head on his knees. He looked up at him and smiled. "See, I told you that thinking was bad for you." He bit his lower lip and sighed, "I wish you'd kissed me as well. In fact, I wish I'd kissed *you*. But I didn't want to freak you out and thought you'd prefer it if I let you take the lead." Orlando shrugged.
"But that's not even the point!" Elijah sounded almost defeated. "We just can't do this, ok? There's too much to lose."
"Like what exactly?" Orlando was beginning to feel thoroughly irritated now. "Is it the guy/guy thing? 'Cos if it's that, then that's just fucking stupid.” He paused and went on, “No. Sorry. That came out wrong. If it *is* that, then I completely understand that you might be worried about the effect it'll have on your life. But," he held Elijah's gaze and continued, "that's still not a particularly good reason. I know it'd be hard, but surely it's worth taking a chance?"
"No! It's not that. Honestly." Elijah took a deep breath, "It's that you're my friend, and that means so much. I've never had friends like you guys. I know you all think I'm weird and that I'm sort of a freaky teenage geekboy, but I don't care! I love that you're my friends. It's brilliant! All of it. All of you. I just don't want to screw with that, and if we get involved, then that affects everyone."
Orlando considered this for a moment, looking at Elijah, whose face was a picture of resigned misery. "Actually, for your information, I have it on very good authority that *everyone* is waiting on tenterhooks for us to start shagging!" The tension broke with his words, and they began to laugh.
And with that, Orlando leaned forward and placed his mouth against Elijah's.
For a heartbeat the pressure of his mouth was resisted, and then he felt the young man's soft, full lips return the kiss. In fact, Elijah did more than return it: he moved into it. Strong hands slid through Orlando's hair, tugging him closer, and Elijah's tongue flicked into his mouth. Orlando groaned and pushed forward so that he ended up on top of Elijah. They stared at each other.
There were so many things going through Elijah's mind as he gazed up at the smiling face above him. The first of these was how good it felt to have Orlando's weight pressing down on him. The second was that it would probably feel just as good to be the one on top! He began to laugh.
"You're not thinking again, are you?" Orlando whispered into his ear. "Because I may have to punish any excessive thinking on your part." He smirked and ran his tongue over Elijah's lips, snatching his head away before his tongue could be caught between sharp, jagged teeth.
"You're licking again. Not that I mind or anything but, you know, it's a little disconcerting." Elijah ran his hands across Orlando's jaw as he spoke.
"Well, I just like to taste you. Because you taste fan-bloody-tastic!" Beaming widely, Orlando moved in for another searing kiss. "See!" Breaking away, he licked his lips. "You know what you taste of? Limes. You taste of limes. Sharp. Tangy. Delicious." He rolled the last word around in his mouth until Elijah raised his head and pulled him back down into a kiss that lasted much of the rest of the afternoon.
Author: Jaq
Pairing: OB/EW
Rating: PG
Archiving: Beyond the Fellowship, anyone else just ask
Summary: Orlando confesses, and Elijah worries again
Disclaimer: Very much the product of my warped and twisted mind and I'm sure that these nice boys would never even think of doing anything like this.
Notes: UK spelling. Yet more fluff. This is the third and final piece of the sequence that started with 'Citrus' and then continued with ‘Metaphors and Camomile Lawns’. This is for Jenwyn, for being a wonderful beta - bless her and all who sail in her!
Feedback: Appreciated
Orlando woke up to the sound of a telephone ringing. He hardly had time to think that he should really get up and answer it, when it stopped and the sound of a woman's voice filtered through the air. Liv's voice. Oh yeah. He was at Liv's. He yawned and stretched and sat up. Liv's couch. Oh. Now he remembered. He smiled to himself. Honey. Camomile. Elijah.
Liv had her back to the kitchen door and was cradling the phone by her left ear, rummaging around in the cupboards looking for something. "Sounds great… Yeah… No, he's still asleep… That'll be cool… No, it's ok, I'll bring my own, that way I can escape if I get too hobbitted out." She laughed and continued, "So, I'll see you later… Yeah, he can come with me or, if he's awake in time, I'll tell him to call you. OK? Bye, Bill."
Liv hung up the phone and turned round to see Orlando framed in the doorway. "Oh hey, sweetie! You're awake!" She moved to him and placed a soft dry kiss on his lips. "I'm going to the beach with the Hobbits, wanna come?"
"Sure,” Orlando smiled. “that'd be great. We'll have to swing by my place and get my stuff though, if that's ok?"
"No problem. So, anyway, what time did you get to sleep last night?" Liv moved back to the counter and continued to search for whatever was eluding her. "Hell! Orli, you don't know where the honey is, do you?"
"Oh." Orlando felt the blush creeping up his neck. He smiled vaguely at Liv and gave a small, rather embarrassed shrug. "Erm, well, funnily enough..." He trailed off and turned back to the sitting room. Liv stared after him with a confused look on her face.
Orlando came back into the kitchen and handed Liv the now empty honey-pot, smiling sheepishly.
Liv raised her eyebrows. "So, what exactly were you doing last night? Or maybe I really don't want to know." She shook her head at him and grinned. "Hey!" Orlando could almost see the light-bulb appear over Liv's head. "How the hell did Elijah know you were here?"
"Elijah? But you were talking to Bill, weren't you?" It was Orlando's turn to look confused.
“Yeah, he’s at Elijah’s.” Liv stared hard at Orlando then gasped. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Oh. My. God! You and Elijah?"
"What?" Orlando squeaked.
"Oh my God! He was here! I knew! I totally knew!" Liv was practically bouncing around the kitchen in glee.
"No!" Orlando yelled at her. "I mean, yeah, he was here. But, nothing happened. He just dropped by late last night to see you. We had tea! Then..." He trailed off again.
"Then.... what?!" Liv stopped and waited, hands on hips.
Orlando tried to calm the queasy feeling in his stomach. "Then, nothing. Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen. I mean - I don't know! It's just - I don't know... Fuck!" He slumped into a chair and put his head on the table.
Liv gaped at him. "You FUCKED?!"
Orlando's head shot up. "No! I didn't say that! Liv!"
Liv put her arms around him. "Orlando, I love you. I love Elijah. And you know what? You two would make a totally gorgeous couple. And well, frankly you're driving the rest of us fucking crazy!" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Do you have *any* idea how completely bizarrely the two of you have been acting around each other recently? It is *so* totally obvious that you are just desperate to fuck each others brains out!"
"It is?" Orlando stared at her. "I mean, I keep wondering if he's interested. And he acts it sometimes, kind of. But then he's all casual again and I get completely thrown. I mean, he's pretty flirty with everyone." He sighed, "It's not like if he were a girl, then I'd be fine. I can *do* girls!"
Liv snorted. "Well, sadly for you - or maybe not, er, I dunno." She shook herself and continued, "Anyway, Elijah is definitely *not* a girl! But, that doesn't mean that you can't use the same techniques. So, why don't you just, you know, ask him if he'd like to," Liv scrunched up her face, thought hard for a moment and finally said, "well, if he'd like to go on a date?" Looking thoroughly pleased with herself, she let go of Orlando and straightened up. "Perfect. That's what you should do. A date. Now - let's go shoot the tube!"
By the time Orlando and Liv arrived at the beach, the others were already out in the surf. They found Viggo sitting by some rocks, a notepad open in front of him.
"Hey! Didn't know you were coming!" Liv skipped over to him and kissed him delicately on the cheek.
“Well,” Viggo looked up at them with his usual calm, quirky smile, “Hobbits prevailed – or at least the promise of sun, sand and being left to my own devices did.”
Orlando leaned over and placed a light, soft kiss on the older man's lips. At this, Viggo raised his eyebrows and laughed.
Liv rolled her eyes. "Oh, ignore him, Viggo, he's just trying to make someone jealous!"
Orlando spun round and glared at her, "Liv!"
"And there I was thinking you were overcome by my masculine charm." Viggo grinned at him.
Liv had the grace to look abashed. "Sorry, Orli. Mouth running ahead of my brain as usual. Anyway, Vig is the soul of discretion, aren't you, dear?"
"Absolutely. I never gossip." At this solemn pronouncement, Liv and Orlando cracked up. Viggo feigned hurt and then joined in the laughter.
"What's the joke?"
Orlando turn round to see Elijah standing a few feet away, dripping wet, hair slicked down against his scalp, wetsuit tight against his body, thumb of his left hand in his mouth worrying the nail. Fuck! Orlando thought, sex on a stick.
Orlando grinned at Elijah, Elijah grinned back. Liv turned back to Viggo and mouthed at him very pointedly, "I. Think. It's. Love!" Viggo shook his head at her and smiled at the two young men beaming at each other.
"Hey, Orli." Elijah was buzzing. For a while he'd thought that Orlando would cry off coming along today. After last night, just the thought of seeing his friend almost made him want to throw up. Last night had been - weird, exciting, confusing, thrilling. Elijah told himself to breathe. Fuck. He should have kissed him. But that had seemed far too scary. Fuck. He *really* should have kissed him. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and very stupid. He also realised that he didn't want to be standing here, being stared at by three very astute pairs of eyes.
"Well, ah. Oh. OK! I'll, you know, catch you later. Ok?" And with that, Elijah hurried away along the beach towards the next cove.
Orlando turned to Liv and Viggo. "What the fuck?" He turned back to stare after Elijah. "What the hell happened there?" Then he turned again to the two people looking at him with concern etched on their faces. "Did I say something? I didn't say anything! Fuck!" He squinted after the retreating back, shook his head and followed the young man who was disappearing over the rocks away from them.
Orlando caught up with Elijah a few hundred yards away, sitting on the sand out of sight of the others, hugging his knees, staring at the horizon.
"Elijah," Orlando tried to sound calm, "what the hell was all that about?"
A pair of mournful eyes flickered down and then back up at Orlando. "I... Oh shit. I just flipped. All this stuff started going through my head and then I just kinda freaked. Sorry. I am. Really sorry. I just can't do this."
"Do what?" Orlando knelt down in front of the him and leaned forward so that his eyes were level with the younger man's. "Do what? You don't have to *do* anything."
"I wished I'd kissed you." It came out in a rush of words. Elijah blushed and then smiled vaguely at Orlando. "But, just the thought of that was so fucking terrifying. I mean, I'm not a child! It's not like I'm some little innocent who's never been into anyone. Never kissed anyone. Never fucked anyone. But... this is different. It's different because it's you." He finished speaking, shrugged, and smiled faintly.
Shuffling forward so that he was closer to the bundled up figure in front of him, Orlando wrapped his arms around Elijah's legs and settled his head on his knees. He looked up at him and smiled. "See, I told you that thinking was bad for you." He bit his lower lip and sighed, "I wish you'd kissed me as well. In fact, I wish I'd kissed *you*. But I didn't want to freak you out and thought you'd prefer it if I let you take the lead." Orlando shrugged.
"But that's not even the point!" Elijah sounded almost defeated. "We just can't do this, ok? There's too much to lose."
"Like what exactly?" Orlando was beginning to feel thoroughly irritated now. "Is it the guy/guy thing? 'Cos if it's that, then that's just fucking stupid.” He paused and went on, “No. Sorry. That came out wrong. If it *is* that, then I completely understand that you might be worried about the effect it'll have on your life. But," he held Elijah's gaze and continued, "that's still not a particularly good reason. I know it'd be hard, but surely it's worth taking a chance?"
"No! It's not that. Honestly." Elijah took a deep breath, "It's that you're my friend, and that means so much. I've never had friends like you guys. I know you all think I'm weird and that I'm sort of a freaky teenage geekboy, but I don't care! I love that you're my friends. It's brilliant! All of it. All of you. I just don't want to screw with that, and if we get involved, then that affects everyone."
Orlando considered this for a moment, looking at Elijah, whose face was a picture of resigned misery. "Actually, for your information, I have it on very good authority that *everyone* is waiting on tenterhooks for us to start shagging!" The tension broke with his words, and they began to laugh.
And with that, Orlando leaned forward and placed his mouth against Elijah's.
For a heartbeat the pressure of his mouth was resisted, and then he felt the young man's soft, full lips return the kiss. In fact, Elijah did more than return it: he moved into it. Strong hands slid through Orlando's hair, tugging him closer, and Elijah's tongue flicked into his mouth. Orlando groaned and pushed forward so that he ended up on top of Elijah. They stared at each other.
There were so many things going through Elijah's mind as he gazed up at the smiling face above him. The first of these was how good it felt to have Orlando's weight pressing down on him. The second was that it would probably feel just as good to be the one on top! He began to laugh.
"You're not thinking again, are you?" Orlando whispered into his ear. "Because I may have to punish any excessive thinking on your part." He smirked and ran his tongue over Elijah's lips, snatching his head away before his tongue could be caught between sharp, jagged teeth.
"You're licking again. Not that I mind or anything but, you know, it's a little disconcerting." Elijah ran his hands across Orlando's jaw as he spoke.
"Well, I just like to taste you. Because you taste fan-bloody-tastic!" Beaming widely, Orlando moved in for another searing kiss. "See!" Breaking away, he licked his lips. "You know what you taste of? Limes. You taste of limes. Sharp. Tangy. Delicious." He rolled the last word around in his mouth until Elijah raised his head and pulled him back down into a kiss that lasted much of the rest of the afternoon.
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Oh yes, finally they get their kiss. *sniff* I'm so happy for them!