vigorli

Sight Unseen (04) by

okinay
Pairing: Vig/Orli
Rating: NC17
Beta: My other half –

piedpiperme
Disclaimer: Ever heard the song 'Cotton Eyed Joe'? It's all BULLSHIT!
Summary: An accidental wrong number changes the course of two men's lives.

Chapter 4

Sean stood, unobserved, in the doorway and watched his friend apply brown and golden hues to the canvas propped in the center of the room. He never claimed to understand Viggo’s paintings, and this one was just as perplexing as all the others. No matter though – it was beautiful. He lifted the cold bottle of beer to his lips and took another drink, wondering how long it would take the artist to realize he had company.

When he had stepped from his rental almost a half-hour earlier, the sounds of Jeff Healey filled the air. His knock on the door went unanswered and knowing the drill, he let himself inside the house. The unmistakable smell of Viggo’s homegrown specialty assaulted his nostrils.

“So the artist is working,” he said quietly as he closed the door behind him.

After dropping his bag at the foot of the stairs, he went back to the kitchen, pulled a beer from the refrigerator, and went in search of his friend.

Viggo had woke early that morning and after running through his chores quicker than he would have liked, immersed himself in a vision that came to him last night. Brown eyes, ringed and flecked with gold had teased him mercifully in his dreams and now he was bringing that dream to life.

“If it were only that easy,” he muttered to himself as he stood back and looked over his work thus far.

“I hear that talking to oneself is a definite sign of insanity.”

The voice startled Viggo and he turned to find its origin. A broad smile lit the man’s face as he saw who was lounging in the studio’s doorway.

“Nah, it’s only when you answer yourself that you’ve lost your mind,” Viggo said as he moved towards his friend, enveloping him in a massive hug. “Beanie, you Northern bastard. What in the hell are you doing here?” he asked, happiness flooding his voice.

Sean returned his embrace. “Was on my way to Los Angeles. Thought you might like some company for a few days,” he offered before the two men separated. He motioned to the canvas. “Another one of your mad creations in the making?”

Viggo turned back to the mess of colors and his heart softened. “Came to me in a dream last night.”

Sean laughed. “You artists are a crazy lot,” he said with affection.

“Never claimed otherwise,” he said as he threw his arm around Sean’s shoulder and led him back into the living area. “So, how long can you stay?”

“I have a meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon. Think you can handle company until then?” Sean asked as he settled himself on the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. Viggo claimed the other corner.

“My door is always open. You and the guys know that. Well, at least for the Hobbits a bit of notice is required, but you’re always welcome, no matter what the time is,” the older man said as he glanced at the clock on the mantel. Orlando would be leaving for work in a couple of hours and Viggo wanted to call him before he left.

“What’s this?” Sean asked as he noticed where Viggo’s eyes had drifted. “Keeping time now?”

“Didn’t realize it was this late. I’ve been in there all day,” he admitted. “I need to go out and feed before it gets too dark. Care to join me?”

“Do I have a choice?” Sean asked as he stood and followed his friend to the door.

“Nope,” Viggo said with a smile. “At least not with the late feeding. I won’t make you get up for the early morning one.”

“I appreciate that ever so much, My King,” Sean teased as Viggo slid into his jacket.

~*~

Orlando was on his hands and knees looking under his bed for a missing black motorcycle boot. At least that’s where he thought it might have been. He hadn’t seen it in a few days so there was really no telling where it might be. He found one in the closet, but its mate had apparently taken off for parts unknown.

“Hot damn! Now that’s what I’m talking about! OB on his hands and knees, ass ready and waiting,” a voice said from Orlando’s living room.

“I’m looking for my fucking boot, you arse!” Orlando yelled back at his friend.

“That may be, but I’ll have to say that it looks like an invitation from where I’m standing,” his friend commented.

“Shut up, Tyler, and help me find my other boot,” he groused as he continued to move the boxes around that were stored under the bed.

“Fuck that,” Tyler said as he eyed the leather-clad ass in front of him. “I’d rather watch you.”

“Bastard,” he muttered, and then, “There you are, you son of a bitch!” he yelled in triumph before dragging the wayward boot out from its hiding spot. He moved to sit on the end of the bed and slid his foot into the leather. As he was reaching down to do the buckles, his phone rang.

“Get that, will you?” he asked Tyler who crawled across Orlando’s bed and reached for the receiver.

“Hello?”

Viggo paused and wondered if he’d dialed the right number. “Um, yeah. Could I speak to Orlando?” he asked quietly. He had left Sean in the living room watching Sports Center while he had snuck upstairs to make the call.

Tyler’s eyes slid to his friend, who was in the process of pulling on his shirt.

“He’s getting dressed. May I ask who’s calling?”

Viggo’s stomach plummeted. Orlando was getting dressed and a strange man was answering his phone. For some reason, this made him very, very angry, but it would not do to let this person know that.

“Yeah, tell him it’s … David,” he said in what he hoped sounded like a normal voice.

Tyler handed the phone to Orlando. “Some guy named David,” he said and watched the slight widening of his friend’s eyes as the phone was taken from him.

Orlando’s pulse hummed at the name. He took the receiver and walked into the living room, leaving his friend on the bed.

“Hey,” he said quietly as he moved to stand by the patio doors, his gaze taking in the colors of the evening.

“Didn’t want to break with tradition, so I thought I’d call you before you left for work. Is that okay?” Viggo asked as he sat on the covered window seat in his bedroom.

Orlando’s features softened. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“How’s your back today? Been taking it easy?”

“It’s fine. The ‘treatment’ last night worked wonders,” he teased. Heat spread throughout his body as he recalled their conversation.

Viggo leaned the side of his head against the window. “Glad I could help. You had me worried for a little while.”

“Sorry about that,” he offered.

“Kids will be kids, right?” the older man teased.

Orlando leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “I refuse to grow up, what can I say?”

“OB, we need to be going,” Tyler said from behind him.

Brown eyes drifted to his friend. “Give me a minute,” he said with a small smile.

“Fine, but if we’re late, it’s your ass,” the dark-haired man said as he went back into the bedroom.

“Sorry about that, but I do need to go,” he said into the phone.

“That’s fine. I just wanted to call and see how you were doing.”

“Thanks. I … it means a lot to me that you called,” he whispered as his heart thumped wildly in his chest.

“My pleasure, Orlando. Be careful tonight.”

“I will. I’ll talk to you later? Well, not later because I’ll be out … but, you know,” he stammered.

Viggo smiled. “Yeah, I know. Oh, before we go, I wanted to let you know that I have a friend staying with me for a few days so we might not be able to talk as long as we have before. I hope that’s not a problem.”

“Depends on if your guest is a male or female,” Orlando teased.

“Male.”

“Problem,” slid from his lips before he could stop it.

“He’s an old friend of mine,” Viggo offered.

“Fuck buddy?” Orlando asked.

“What color did you say your eyes are?”

“Brown.”

“Sounds like they’ve got a green tint to them right now.”

Orlando shook his head, chestnut curls brushing his shoulders. “Nah, just giving you shit,” he said, lied actually.

“Really …”

“Yes really. It’s not like we … oh never mind.”

“You’re adorable when you’re flustered,” the older man smiled.

“I am not flustered.”

Viggo chuckled. “Go to work, Orlando. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Before the young man could reply, the call had been disconnected on the other end. As he slid into his leather jacket, he tried to squash the feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach. He had no reason to be jealous. They weren’t together, or anything like that. They talked on the phone and that was it.

*Then why do you feel like smashing something if you are just ‘friends’?* a little voice inside asked.

~*~

“What’s got your shorts in a knot?” Tyler asked when Orlando slid into the passenger seat.

“Nothing,” he said as he looked out the window. He did not want to discuss it – whatever *it* was.

“Could have fooled me. So who’s this David guy? You been holding out on me, OB?” his friend asked as he pulled into the evening traffic.

“Nobody. Just … a friend,” he offered.

“Just a friend. Well, care to tell me what this so-called-friend said that pissed you off?”

“Leave off, Tyler.”

“Okay, but if you want to talk, you know I’m there for you. Or, you know, if you and your ‘friend’ don’t work things out, maybe you can put in a good word for me?” he teased, knowing how to get Orlando to talk.

“Yeah, like I’d send him your way,” he said and then turned to look at the driver. “I don’t understand this, Tyler. I’ve talked to him for three days and it’s like we … I don’t know … like we are friends, but … something else. It’s crazy. He dialed my number by mistake a few days ago, looking for his friend, and I thought that was it.”

~*~

“So after I talked to Scott, I came out here for a little while and did some thinking. You know how I feel about people only being with me for who I am, what they think I can do for them, give them. So I got this crazy idea into my head. I went back and called Orlando, let him know up front that I had called him on purpose, and we’ve talked every night since then,” Viggo said as he and Sean sat on the swing and enjoyed the night.

“And he has no clue that you’re you,” Sean offered.

“No,” Viggo said as he released a long breath. “I told him my name was David, one of my character’s names. Hell, you know that if I said my name was Viggo he would know right off the bat who it was. Not like there’s many of us out there.”

“Yeah, you and your father,” Sean supplied. “So now you’re having second thoughts about it all.”

“Try third and fourth thoughts. I’m in this up to my neck, Sean. It’s exciting to speak to someone and let them know the real me, Viggo the person, not Viggo the actor. Just me. And it’s been great.”

Sean heard a ‘but’ coming.

“But now, I don’t know. It’s crazy. I feel something for him. Actually, I felt it the first time we talked. His voice, god, it’s beautiful. He’s British, but his accent, if you want to call it that, it’s not like yours. Yours is hard while his is … soft.”

“Got yourself a little twink, did ya?” Bean teased.

Viggo shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. He’s … fuck, I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

“Other than the fact that you want him, you mean?” Sean said as he rocked the swing.

“Yeah,” Viggo said with a sigh. “And I’m scared to death.”

~*~

“You can’t be serious, OB. You’ve talked to him a handful of times and you think you feel something for him? You think … or you know?” Tyler asked as he maneuvered them through the traffic.

“I know, I’m a total wanker, but yeah, I feel something for him,” Orlando finally admitted.

“Horny,” Tyler supplied.

“Well, that goes without saying,” the brunette said with a laugh. “But it’s, I don’t know, different. More.”

“So what got you all upset earlier? You seemed fine when I walked in.”

Orlando shook his head. “He told me that a friend was there for a few days and I sort of had a moment.”

“Huh? What do you mean – had a moment?”

“I was jealous,” the young man admitted. “And he called me on it.”

“Reaaally?” Tyler asked, genuinely surprised by his friend’s reaction.

“Oh do shut up. I feel wretched enough about it. I don’t need you adding to it,” Orlando said as they pulled into the parking lot. “He said that they were just friends.”

“Do you believe him?”

Orlando shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not like we’re together or anything.”

“Obviously it does or else you wouldn’t have reacted the way you did.”

The brunette sighed. “No matter. It’s over and done with.”

“The two of you are, or just this incident?” Tyler asked as he opened his door, Orlando doing the same.

“This incident. He said that he’d call me tomorrow,” he said with a small smile.

Tyler was not about to point out the fact that his friend did not deny the first part of his question.

~*~

In the darkness of his room later, Orlando noticed the light on his answering machine blinking. He pushed the Play button and waited.

“Hey, it’s me. It’s 11:15 and I’m sitting in my studio thinking of you. I have a confession to make. You’re not the only one who was jealous earlier. And don’t try to deny it. I heard it in your voice even though you tried to play it off that it was nothing. So anyway, when you weren’t the one who answered, I didn’t like the things I was feeling. I know that I had no right to feel that way, but I can’t help it. I’m not sure what this thing is that we’re doing, but I’m enjoying it and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. My friend that’s staying with me is just that – a friend. We’ve never been anything more and we never will be. I just wanted you to know that. I’ll call you tomorrow. Goodnight, baby.”

Orlando smiled as he saved the message.

TBC