vigorli

Author: zebraljb
Rating: G to a Hard R
Disclaimer: I know nothing about these people, and when I wrote this about a year ago, I knew even less than I do now.

THE CURSE
Six

Orlando shivered a bit as Viggo started the engine. “You cold?” Viggo asked. Orlando shrugged and tried to look warm. Viggo reached behind the seat, his arm brushing against Orlando’s shoulder. “Here. This should help.” He pulled out a hooded sweatshirt. “It’s old, but clean.”

Orlando nodded his thanks and pulled the shirt over his head. It was indeed warm, and smelled like Viggo, or at least smelled like the laundry detergent he used. Orlando buried his face in the neck of the sweatshirt, trying to make it look like he was trying to just get warm.

“Are those hobbits ever normal?” Viggo asked suddenly, and Orlando couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“I guess, sometimes. Mebbe when they’re sleeping.”

“They’re good kids,” Viggo said, chuckling himself. Orlando’s heart sank. Billy was nine years older than he, and ten years younger than Viggo, so if Billy was a kid, what did that make Orlando?

“I like them a lot,” Orlando said, once he found his voice. “They make things easier.”

“Doesn’t Sean Astin hang with you guys at all?” Viggo asked.

“Sometimes,” Orlando answered with a shrug. “He’s busy, ya know, with the family.”

“Kids take a lot of time,” Viggo agreed. “But they’re worth it.”

“Uh, do you have kids?” Orlando asked. He didn’t think his heart could sink any more, but he was wrong.

“Yes. A son, Henry.” Viggo smiled fondly. “Good kid.”

“I’m sure he is, with you for a dad,” Orlando said, surprising himself. Viggo looked a bit
embarrassed. Orlando would learn later that Viggo considered fatherhood the most important job he could ever have.

“Well, thanks, but I’m not around nearly as much as I should be.”

“Hey, at least he has a good dad,” Orlando said. “I had two, actually. Found out the one I thought was my dad, who died, wasn’t my dad at all.”

“Ah,” Viggo said. “Some people would say then that you’d look for a father figure to replace him.”

Orlando was mortified. Is that what Viggo thought? He wanted to be friends with Viggo because he wanted a father figure? “Some people would be wrong,” Orlando said almost angrily. “I do NOT look for father figures in the men I meet.”

“What DO you look for?” The question was innocent enough, but could be answered in so many ways.

“Depends on the man,” Orlando answered. There. That was flirtatious enough.

Viggo laughed softly as he stopped the car. Orlando looked up, surprised to see they were in front of his house. “There you go. Door to door service.”

“Uh, would you like to come in?” Orlando asked bravely.

“It’s a little late,” Viggo said. “We’ve got an early call tomorrow.”

Orlando nodded, embarrassed. “Thanks for dinner and the ride.” He moved to open the door, but Viggo’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Viggo’s fingers gently stroked the back of Orlando’s neck.

“Another time,” Viggo said. Orlando nodded again and slipped out of the car.