FIC: A Summer Place, chapter 3, NC-17, Viggo/Orlando

[arieltachna.livejournal.com]

Title: A Summer Place
Author: Ariel Tachna
Type: RPS
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando
Rating: NC-17
Warning: Just sex
Disclaimer: I don’t know the actors. I just make up stories when I get bored. Any real places or historical figures are represented to the best of my knowledge and with nothing but the most profound respect.
Feedback: Please.
Beta: the irreplaceable namárië120
Summary: In protecting a local blacksmith from a murderer, overseer Viggo Mortensen meets the love of his life. Does he dare to claim that love for his own?


Banner by mesnica




Chapter 3

All four men looked up in surprise, Eric’s hand lifting the shotgun he held. They relaxed when the sheriff stepped into the circle of firelight and lamplight by which they were talking.

“Don’t scare me that way, Sheriff,” Eric scolded. “I might have shot you before I realized who you were.”

Sean had the good grace to look embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to startle you, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. I take it Mr. Mortensen has filled you boys in. Can I count on your help in keeping Orlando safe?”

“If Mr. Mortensen has decided to hire him, then he’s one of the men,” Johnny offered, clearly speaking for all three of them. “We look out for our own.”

“Good,” Sean declared. “The island could survive without a lot of things, but we wouldn’t make it through the first winter without a blacksmith. We can’t afford to lose the one we have.”

“So where is this irreplaceable wonder?” Viggo asked, curious now. The sheriff had said he would bring the young man out to the site. The sheriff was here, but Viggo had yet to see anyone else.

“Orlando!” Sean called. “Come on.”

The man who stepped from the shadows was undeniably young, but he was also obviously a man, despite the sheriff’s reference to a boy. This broad chest and thick shoulders spoke clearly of his chosen profession. The shadows cast by the firelight hid the details of his features, but Viggo had the impression of a strong silhouette and serious face. Knowing what he did of Orlando, knowing the blacksmith’s preferences so matched his own, he studied the shadowed face, taking in the hint of a beard, the longish hair. The firelight gave a reddish cast to the dark locks and an eerie glow to his skin, capturing the overseer’s attention.

Orlando eyed the four men around the campfire with a mixture of anxiety, disdain, and hope. They knew the truth about him – everyone on the island did, of course, but they were outlanders. If they scorned him for his affections toward Jude, he would lose any chance of being accepted by the rest of the crew. Mr. Mortensen had agreed to hire him, though Orlando did not know how much persuading Sean had done. Even so, that mean he, at least, was willing to accept Orlando as he was. The other three men were saying the right things now, but Orlando wondered if that would still hold true when Sean and the overseer were absent. He hoped so. He could hold his own in a fair fight, but he would never stand a chance against Bana. The man was a mountain to rival Cadillac mountain behind them on the island. The other two were smaller than Bana, but hardly small. He might take one of them, but certainly not all at once.

Deciding to end the stalemate, Johnny rose from his seat, offering his hand to the blacksmith. “Welcome to the crew,” he said. “I’m Johnny Depp. This is Karl Urban and Eric Bana.”

Surprised and pleased, Orlando took the outstretched hand, grasping it firmly. “Orlando Bloom.”

“We only have a couple of tents pitched,” Johnny told the blacksmith. “We’ll pitch you one in the morning, but for tonight, you can bunk with me if you’d like. It’s still a little chilly to sleep outside at night, even for an island native like yourself.”

Orlando wanted to believe the sincerity of the offer, to trust the kindness he heard in the other man’s voice, but he had seen even long-time friends turn away these past two weeks since his fight with Jude and his lover’s subsequent murder, not because they thought he was guilty of murder but because they knew he was guilty of sodomy. “You’re not afraid I’ll try something… unnatural during the night?” he asked bitterly.

“No,” Johnny replied with perfect honesty. “You wouldn’t be a respected member of the community here if you went around indiscriminately accosting people. But I’m more than capable of defending myself if you did.”

“Orlando,” Sean scolded. “That’s hardly the way to make friends.”

“I’m here to work, aren’t I?” Orlando retorted. “You’ll excuse me if I’m a little testy about being dragged out of my home in the middle of the night. I’ll do my job because that’s what I’ve been hired to do, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

Viggo frowned, rising to his feet, drawing the eyes of the others there. Sensing his boss’ displeasure, Johnny stepped back to let the overseer handle the situation.

Viggo stepped forward so that he stood where Johnny had, toe to toe and nose to nose with the blacksmith. “I agreed to hire you on the sheriff’s recommendation,” he began, “and I’m a man of my word, but I run a tight ship and there’s no place here for that kind of attitude. I understand that you’ve just suffered a grievous loss, so I’ll excuse your insinuations with Depp and your ill will this time. That won’t last forever, though.”

Orlando felt his breath catch in his throat when he got his first good look at his new employer. He had seen Mortensen from a distance over the past ten years as the overseer came to the island to work. Bernard, Orlando’s mentor, had always turned down the offer of employment for the summer, saying he had enough to do keeping up with the island’s inhabitants’ needs to take on more work, thus depriving Orlando of the chance to see the man up close. The firelight muted the older man’s aquiline features, but even the flickering shadows could not hide the chiseled planes of Mortensen’s high cheekbones and wide smooth forehead. Dropping his eyes to the mouth currently set in a tight line, his eyes settled on a tiny scar bisecting the overseer’s upper lip. He had the ridiculous urge to flick his tongue over the small imperfection, as if he could somehow ease the pain of a wound long healed. Giving himself a mental shake, he looked up again and met the project manager’s eyes. “I apologize,” he said softly. “I was out of line. It won’t happen again.”

Viggo nodded shortly, turning his attention back to the others. “I hope this goes without saying, but I don’t have time for any stupidity on my job site. If there is any and I find out who started it, it won’t matter how much or how little experience he has, I’ll fire him.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Johnny assured him. “Bloom’s just a little out of sorts because of everything that’s happening. He’ll get to know us and realize we’re decent men and we’ll do the same with him. By the time you hire the rest of the crew, there won’t be any question of foolishness. You can count on us to make sure of it.”

“That’s definitely part of it,” Sean agreed, inserting himself into the conversation, “but it’s more than just that. If I’m right and Orlando is the next target, it will also mean protecting yourselves and him against a madman. I know Mr. Mortensen keeps a closed site, so that will help, but our murderer isn’t likely to come in through the front gate. He’s more the kind to jump the fence.”

“That was going to be my first order of business in the morning,” Viggo explained. “We’ll need to set a night patrol rather than just someone at the gate, but with just the five of us, that’s a little complicated, especially since having Bloom on watch alone defeats the purpose.”

“You’re probably safe tonight,” Sean reminded him. “No one knows Orlando’s here.”

“That’s not an excuse to be lax,” Viggo disagreed. “I take my responsibilities seriously.”

“I’m not a responsibility,” Orlando interjected hotly. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

Viggo did not respond in words, pivoting instead and taking the blacksmith to the ground with the force of his weight. The younger man struggled, but the overseer caught him in an implacable grip, pinning Bloom beneath him. “If I were the murderer, you would be at my mercy now if you weren’t already dead.”

Releasing the islander, he pushed back to his feet. “As I was saying, we’ll need to set a watch and make sure Mr. Bloom is never left alone. Anyone can be caught off guard, and I have no intention of having a murder on my job site.”

From his place on the ground, Orlando frowned. He had not expected the overseer’s move and had, as the man said, been caught off guard. That was bad enough, but his reaction to being tumbled was even worse. Despite the situation, despite the clearly non-sexual tone of the man’s actions, despite being surrounded by men whom he barely knew, the feeling of Mortensen’s strong body atop his sent tendrils of lust curling through Orlando’s body. He knew better than to let the reaction show, but that meant staying where he was for the moment. He feared otherwise that even the shadows would not hide the evidence of his arousal. He tried to think, to remember if he had ever reacted to anyone the way he reacted to his new employer. Certainly, Jude had been attractive and Orlando had enjoyed their time as lovers, but the feelings had not been this instantaneous, this… all-encompassing. To his mind, that was the scariest part. He could deal with being attracted to the overseer. He had come to terms with his sexuality years ago, when his fumbling attempts with the local whore had come to naught. He could even deal with feeling this attraction so soon on the heels of Jude’s death. After all, they had separated bitterly before the murder, Jude’s betrayal having killed all emotions but lust for his erstwhile lover. He found it much harder to deal with the intensity of the attraction, the desire to forget about everything else, even his own safety, in favor of basking in the magnificence of the golden god of a man before him.

Realizing that he was staring, Orlando forced his eyes away from his new obsession, looking around instead to see what reaction the others had to Viggo’s display. The three crew bosses appeared engrossed in the discussion of watches and security, leaving Orlando relieved at not having lost their respect. He knew their good will was essential to his success at the job site, to say nothing of his safety. Reminding himself that this conversation concerned his well-being even more than theirs, he focused in on the words, catching the tail end of Johnny’s comment. “…share my tent tonight until we can come up with a more workable solution. I’m a light sleeper. I would hear any commotion.”

“That’s fine with me,” Orlando commented. “I know having me here is an imposition. I’ll do what I can to minimize it.”

Viggo looked down at the blacksmith. “Yes, you will,” he agreed, “and you’ll do it by following my instructions instead of asserting your independence. Unless it’s a legal matter, my word is law here. That’s the first thing you need to learn. After that, everything else is easy.”

Orlando had the feeling the overseer only added his qualification in deference to Sean’s presence. It was quite obvious to him that Mr. Mortensen was used to ruling the roost, so to speak. He had no problem with that. He enjoyed a strong man. Being one himself, finding someone strong enough to make him bend was a rare treat, for it was more than simply physical. Mr. Mortensen had proven his physical strength already, and now his mental strength was coming to the fore, only adding to his attractiveness in Orlando’s eyes.

Viggo felt the blacksmith’s dark eyes linger on him, assessing him. He knew the look, the one that conveyed interest, even desire, and it tempted him on an incredibly deep level, but he could not give in to it. Too much stood in the way: their ages, their relationship as employer and employee, the need for Orlando to stay on the island, the threat that hung over the younger man’s head. No, as attractive as the blacksmith was, as satisfying as it could be to indulge for the summer, Viggo had never engaged in casual flings. His affairs, while they lasted, were monogamous and intense. He doubted Bloom, recovering from his lover’s death, was ready for the intensity, even if he was willing to commit to the monogamy. More than anything else, though, Viggo knew what would happen at the end of the summer. The days would grow too short and too cold to work on the cottage and so he would catch a schooner south again, to wile away the winter on his earnings from the summer. For ten years now, he had followed this pattern. It was one he would not alter.

“Let’s get settled for the night,” he declared, tearing his thoughts away from his dour musings. “We’re sitting ducks here around the fire with no one on watch.”

Johnny, Karl, and Eric rose willingly enough, Eric offering to take first watch. The other two agreed, Johnny leading Orlando to his tent while Karl returned to his. Viggo turned back to Sean. “Good to see you again, Sheriff.”

“Welcome back to the island,” Sean replied, “and thank you for your help.”

Viggo inclined his head in acknowledgement. “I should get some sleep. We have work to do tomorrow.”

Sean nodded and left the construction site, heading back into town. It was almost too late to return to the boarding house he called home, but perhaps the lovely widow Tyler would still be up, finishing the preparations for the next day’s meals. If so, he might even persuade her to share a cup of coffee with him before they each retired for the night.

Back at the camp, the five men were each lost in their own thoughts as they settled in for the night. Johnny’s mind was full of images of his son and daughter as he had last seen them, playing joyfully at his parents’ house before he slipped away, knowing that was easier than saying goodbye. His eyes closed as he called up the image of his dead wife. Vanessa had been an earthbound angel and he could not blame God for wanting her back. His tears welled again as they always did when he thought of her. He let them fall unchecked, his tribute to the depth of their love.

In the tent next door, Karl’s thoughts, too, were with a loved one far away. He had told Viggo the truth when he first arrived, his fiancée having left him. What he had not told Viggo, or anyone else since, was that he had found someone to replace the faithless bitch. He had met Kevin Sorbo when he returned home that fall. It had taken him some time to grow used to the idea of loving another man, but Kevin had persuaded him and Karl had not looked back since. He thought briefly of the young blacksmith, wondering how he would feel if he were in Orlando’s shoes and Kevin dead at the hands of a madman. That did not even bear thinking about, he decided, not wanting to imagine a life without his lover.

Eric paced the perimeter of the small camp, shotgun in hand. He was not completely comfortable, to be perfectly honest, with having the blacksmith on site, both for the issues of security and because he had always been taught to condemn the sodomite. His heart, though, was too gentle to allow someone to be threatened without moving to help. He would just have to find a way to accept this and move on.

Alone in his cabin, Viggo closed his eyes and remembered what it felt like to have Orlando beneath him, the blacksmith’s powerful muscles bunching under his touch. He had absolutely no intention of acting on the lust shooting through him, but he was honest enough with himself to admit that it was there. Knowing he had to get it out of his system, he slid his hand into his trousers, determined to burn this attraction out of himself. There would be enough worries without adding his libido to the mix.

On his bedroll in the tent he now shared with Depp – Johnny, the man had insisted Orlando call him – Orlando tried not to toss and turn. He could hear the muffled sound of weeping from the other side of the tent. He almost asked what the matter was, but an invitation to share his tent for a night, an invitation even to use the other man’s first name, was not an invitation to that level of intimacy. He held the silence, giving Johnny that much privacy with his grief. The blacksmith’s thoughts wandered unerringly back to the overseer, specifically to the feel of Mortensen’s body pressing down on his. He ached to feel that again, to relive the glorious weight above him, for more than a few seconds and a lesson. He would never speak of it, for he knew such advances would be unwelcome, but he wanted Viggo Mortensen as his lover. His body reacted predictably to the thought and he shifted uncomfortably in his bedroll, wishing for the privacy to tend to his erection. That would have to wait until morning, though, because Johnny showed no sign of falling asleep. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to will away the throbbing desire.

Comments

[lizarazu.livejournal.com]

I like it better and better (which is not to say that I didn't like it very much from the start!)
Interesting premise, I'm waiting impatiently how it will evolve, now that they've finally met. You write both Viggo and Orlando, and their reactions so well.
And nice characterization of all the supporting characters as well.

[arieltachna.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've always had a lot of fun playing with random ideas for our boys. This one stuck. I'll post the next chapter next Friday, so you don't have too long to wait. And I have to admit to taking a certain pride in having well-rounded supporting characters, so it's good to know these fit the bill.