Pygmalion 9/17

[zebraljb.livejournal.com]

Author: zebraljb
Rating: G to NC17
Disclaimer: This chapter is brought to you by the letters F for fake, M for made-up and N for not true, and by the number 9, for chapter 9. :) (okay yeah, I watch too much Sesame Street w/my son).



When Viggo arrived at the coffeehouse, Sean was already there. Viggo ignored him, went to the counter and ordered a double latte, then slowly walked to Sean’s table. “Sorry I’m late,” Viggo said, though he wasn’t a bit sorry. He had waited until the last possible minute before leaving his loft.

“Glad you came. I was half afraid you wouldn’t,” Sean said with a smile. “So…your cousin and his boything, huh?”

“I’d rather not talk about Elijah and Orlando if I were you.”

“Orlando,” Sean said. “Sounds high class.”

“Like I said, rather not talk about him. Them,” Viggo corrected himself. “What do you have to say to me, Sean?”

“So it’s Sean, now?” Sean took Viggo’s hand. “What happened to Beanie?”

Viggo withdrew his hand. He had never felt comfortable showing affection in public with Sean. He always felt as if Sean saw him as some sort of trophy. “Beanie died when you screwed me over.”

“You called me Beanie in your loft.”

“That was the shock talking.” Viggo sighed. “Sean…”

“I’m dead without ya, Vig. I miss ya.” Sean actually looked sincere. “We had something good, aye? I fucked it up.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Viggo blew on his latte.

“Apparently you have pictures of me in your loft? The boything…Orlando…mentioned it.”

“You know me. I never throw anything out.” Viggo kept his face expressionless.

“Don’t throw me out, mate. I love you, Vig.”

Viggo closed his eyes. He had dreamt of this moment for ages. He had dreamt of Sean crawling back to him, but he had never believed it would really happen. “What happened, Sean? What caused all this groveling?”

“Can’t I just love you?” Sean’s face was a picture of innocence. Viggo gave him a look. “I guess I miss ya, Vig. I miss ya taking care of me. I miss…”

“You just miss having a steady fuck, is that right, Sean? And I haven’t changed. I’m still as emotional and as clingy as ever. You’ll accept that?”

“Of course,” Sean said eagerly. Viggo sighed. He remembered the good times with Sean, yet a pair of big brown eyes seemed to loom in his mind. That was crazy. He had next to no chance with Orlando, especially now.

“You hurt me.” Viggo looked Sean in the eye.

“I know, love…it was stupid of me. Just a quick lay. It won’t happen again, I swear.”

Viggo rubbed at his temples. “How’s work?”

Sean looked up quickly. He owned a pub uptown. “Uh, it’s fine. Money’s a bit tight, but I’m thinking if I can get something to pull people in again, it’ll all be good.”

Viggo thought for a moment. “You mean like a new menu item or something?”

“That would work,” Sean agreed. “Or some entertainment.”

“Like a piano player?” Viggo said sadly.

“We still think on the same wavelength!” Sean said triumphantly. “How great would that be, love? Me and you together again, working together…”

“Sorry, Sean.” Viggo stood and threw down some money. “Don’t come see me again.”


Viggo prowled along the river for two days straight with absolutely no sign of Orlando. He spent the third day venting his frustration and depression by doing some serious work. This was different than the way he had felt when Sean left him. Orlando had never been his to begin with, which created a new sense of emptiness. Viggo filled canvases with abstract works of shadow and dark colors. He ran out of black paint three times, because he kept using blacks and greys to convey his sadness. When he got tired of painting, he’d go out with his camera, taking pictures of happy couples on black and white film.

On the third day, he was sitting on a blanket by the river, his camera focused on a bench nearby. A man was down on his knee, proposing to the pretty girl on the bench. Viggo frowned and hoped the man would someday suffer from arthritis in that knee.

“Looking for someone?” A voice said behind him. Viggo, startled, almost dropped his camera.

“Elijah?” Viggo’s mouth fell open.

“That’s me.” Elijah smiled. The bruising was starting to fade and he almost looked his sweet self again, except for the even more haunted look in his blue eyes. “Hello, Viggo.”

“Uh, hi.” Viggo stared as Elijah sat down next to him. “How’s…things?”

“If you mean Orlando, he’s terrible.” Elijah lit a cigarette.

“What? Is he okay? Did something happen to him?” The questions tumbled from Viggo’s lips.

“No.” Elijah exhaled smoke and looked out at the river. “Just suffering from being an idiot. He misses you and he won’t admit it.”

“He…he does?” Viggo asked quietly. Elijah nodded.

“You’re back with that guy?”

“No! No…I told him no.” Viggo sighed and frowned. “He, uh, just wanted to use me to make some money.”

“I’m sorry.” Elijah put a hand on Viggo’s knee and squeezed. “But I’m glad to hear it. He was an asshole.”

Viggo smiled briefly. “Yeah, he was.”

“Orlando’s working nights now. Working his ass off, actually. He’ll be up at Seventh and Milne tonight…if you want to find him. Go find him, Vig. You’re what he needs.” Elijah got up and walked away without another word.