salixbabylon | Educational Endeavors - Written in the Stars (8/8)

Title: Educational Endeavors
Author: Salix
Email: salixbabylon@yahoo.com
Pairing: OB/VM
Rating: NC-17 (overall)
Archiving: My site, list archives, Mirrormere, LBES, and others upon request ONLY.
Feedback: Always appreciated.
Disclaimer: Complete fiction. I am implying nothing about the real sexual preferences of the actors herein. Absolutely no disrespect is meant to them.

Summary: Orli is curious... and you know what they say about curiosity and the cat. Luckily Viggo is around to help.

Warning: Kink and snowballing

Attributions: Song lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, performed by Ella Fitzgerald. Phrase borrowed from Cassie Claire's Very Secret Diaries. And astronomy info from Astronomy NZ.

Thank yous: More than I can ever say to Lostiawen, for encouraging me to start, for holding my hand in Y!M as I wrote, for all her time betaing, and most of all for believing in me. *smooch* Thank you so much.

And thank you to everyone who has borne with me through the last year, graciously sending me feedback and support. Without your kind words, I never would have written more than the first two chapters.

And of course, always to Cindy Lou.

Educational Endeavors

Written in the Stars

In Orlando's personal opinion, filming the Rivendell Council scene was almost more difficult than Helm's Deep had been. Tempers were short, people were snippy, and just about everyone had been about ready to crack under the pressure. Despite that one day when almost everyone had wanted to kill Orlando for repeatedly flubbing his Elvish, (even Sir Ian had taken him aside for a firm "get it together, lad" pep talk), the people most on everyone's hit list were Dom and Billy. The two of them kept making bawdy comments that made someone (usually Orlando) laugh at the wrong moment and then they'd have to do the whole thing over again.

Orlando was never so glad to get back to bluescreen work as when they finally wrapped the scene. Action sequences were hard on his back, but at least he knew he could do them. No one ever said a disparaging word about his abilities there. Well, except maybe the Orcs, when he'd trip or fall over after one of Legolas' sudden stops. Bloody elf with his stupid cat-like movements. Cats fall over sometimes too, you know, he told himself; they just act like they meant to do it. Bloody cats.

Yesterday had been particularly bad after working on some of the bits in the Moria scene. Everyone knew he was hurting from having Beanie land on him over and over, but he managed to just wince, carry on with the job, and get it finished. Sean kept teasing him about asking for a break, but you could tell he was concerned about Orli's skinny little body getting smushed. He was tougher than he looked, though, and determined not to hold up filming.

Unfortunately, by the time they'd wrapped for the day, Orli couldn't even make it to the Cuntebago without stopping to stretch out his back. Everyone else was gone when he went inside and the pain was making him dizzy.

His back hadn't been this bad in a long time, so long that he was tense and scared, starting to panic a bit that maybe he was injured in some way. His hands shook as he fumbled with the bottle of pills, finally getting two out and into his mouth. His face was twisted with agony; Orlando could tell he was giving himself a headache just from how tight the muscles in his forehead were. He whimpered out loud to the pills in his stomach, "Work faster, please please please."

And that was when Viggo had come and found him, tense and frantic, waiting for the medication to kick in, almost unable to move from the pain. Orlando couldn't even remember what words they had exchanged, but Viggo had stayed with him, holding his hand and murmuring until he'd finally relaxed enough to move to the couch and lie down. Orlando wasn't sure how long he lay there, gripping Viggo's hand until the pain finally backed off, and Viggo eased him up to drive him home to sleep off the drugs.

The next morning Orli woke up feeling like he'd been trampled by a herd of Oliphants. Er, elephants. Fuck, the longer they filmed, the more he had a hard time not believing he actually was in Middle Earth. Luckily everyone else in the cast and crew was right there with him, so he wasn't worried he was going mad.

Well, not too much, anyway.

It sure had been nice of Viggo to help him out yesterday, Orlando mused as he lay in bed. The whole experience was a haze of fuzzy pain, and he couldn't quite remember the details, but Viggo had been there. Calm, reassuring, patient. Comforting...

Orlando eased himself out of bed and gingerly made his way to the toilet. The blankets looked tempting, but he started going through his morning stretching routine instead, knowing that a few more hours in bed would just make the stiffness worse later. He'd really thought everyone was gone by the time he'd made it back to the trailer last night... He wondered if Viggo had been waiting for him...

A smile crossed Orlando's face as he carefully bent over to put his hands on the floor, remembering the geometry lesson from two weeks ago. They'd been together a few times since then, finally gotten in some serious snogging time, and had spent the night together, but things had just been too busy. And Orlando was sensing some tension between them, too, maybe. Which kind of hurt a bit, since he thought he was in love with Viggo. Maybe.

No, definitely. In love with Viggo.

But was Viggo in love with him, too? Or was it just friendship with some brilliant fucking, for Viggo?

Orlando sighed. They'd been frantically busy, and he'd not had much time to chat with Viggo, which was what he knew they needed to do. But Orlando had never been very good at asking people how they felt about him. He knew he was easy on the eyes, and that people (women especially) had always seemed eager to fall into bed with him, but... He knew his mates thought he was funny, and some eventually got to know him well enough to realize that he wasn't stupid, just hyper; his dyslexia had made school difficult for him.

And of course he'd had relationships with girls, fallen in love, had them say they loved him too. But he'd never felt like this before. It was rather frightening, how much he really liked Viggo for who he was. And he made Orlando feel special in a way no one else ever had. Taken care of. Loved, he hoped.

How the fuck was he going to find out how Viggo felt?

The phone rang and spared him from pursuing that line of thought any further. Which was a blessing, because Orli had been chasing that thought in circles for over two weeks now, and getting nowhere but frustrated.

"You've reached Orlando Bloom, most bruised of all immortal elves, but still the prettiest by far," he said into the mouthpiece.

"Conceited bastard," answered Billy. "We Hobbits were wondering if you were too bruised to go snowboarding at the weekend? Someone told Dom there's already snow high up, less than a day's drive, and we were going to get a cabin for one night and give it a try."

Orlando nodded, "Yeah, sure, I'm up for it. When and where?"

Billy chuckled. "You never quit, do you, Elfboy? We were thinking of leaving tomorrow, since Elwood needs to get some cold-weather clothing first, the wussy Californian. He thinks it's going to be like surfing on snow."

Orlando could almost hear Billy rolling his eyes in amused disgust. "Let's bury him in snow and make a Hobbitsicle," Orli joked.

The sound of a shriek and scuffle erupted at the other end of the line as this was repeated by Billy. A few more insults were traded before their plans were finalized and Orli rang off.

Cool. He was going snowboarding tomorrow!

*****

When Viggo found out about the boys' trip on Monday, he simply rolled his eyes. As the conversation in the canteen was dominated by Billy and Dom's retelling of Elijah getting buried alive in the snow, and as Elijah's protests getting more and more shrill, Orlando found himself standing next to Viggo. Their eyes met and held for a moment, before Viggo shook his head, a small smile quirking his mouth. "I hope your back's feeling better, then."

Orlando shifted his feet, looking away. He was actually quite stiff and sore, and had overtaxed his muscles more than he was ready to admit. "I'm ok," he answered.

Orli heard Viggo sigh, then felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "Come over tonight and I'll give you a massage, if you want one."

"Sounds good," Orlando nodded. "I could use it, thanks." He paused a bit. "Should I pick up something for dinner or come over after?"

"Dinner sounds good," Viggo said. "Haven't had much chance to hang out in a while. I called you this weekend, didn't know you were going with the Hobbits."

The tone of Viggo's voice made a strange feeling of guilt twinge in Orlando. Maybe he should have told Viggo he wouldn't be around for two days. But what, were they boyfriends now? What a fucking weird thought, first of all, having a *boy*friend. And anyway, they'd never said anything like that. Or even that they were exclusive, sexually, he suddenly realized. Weird.

But how cool was it that Viggo had called him? Had missed hanging out with him and had wanted to? Brilliant! That was a good sign, right? Viggo giving Orlando grief about going away without telling him meant that Viggo was kind of jealous and possessive, and that must mean that he was feeling something for Orlando beyond friendship, yeah?

"Sorry about that, I should have called you," he apologized.

"No problem. I'll see you tonight at dinner, then," Viggo said, giving his shoulder one last manly squeeze, and then walking away to chat with Beanie.

Wait, huh?

That wasn't how this had ever worked before. Bollocks! Blokes were so much harder to read than girls. When girls were jealous it was obvious, and he knew how to charm them out of it. But with Viggo, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. Or even if Viggo really was jealous. Maybe he was just being Mr. Random-Artist-type again.

Fuck. Well, at least they'd have dinner together tonight and maybe get things sorted. Hopefully after, things would be ok enough that Orlando could still get that massage Viggo promised. Man, he really hated all this angsty bullshit, even if it was just all in his head...

Orli suddenly noticed he was the only one left in the canteen and hurried away to get back to work.

*****

After a nice dinner of Indian take-away, Orlando was sitting on Viggo's couch, cushion behind his back, drinking a beer while Viggo rubbed his feet, mumbling something about reflexology points. This was definitely the life.

"Did you have a fun snowboarding?" Viggo asked.

Orlando nodded. "Yeah. Hurt my back a bit more than expected, but I had a good time with the Hobbits and, man, the rush was fucking phenomenal."

Viggo hummed and went silent for a bit, gently rubbing. Eventually, he said, "So that's why you do it, then. The boys encourage it, and you have something to prove to yourself."

Orlando shrugged and thought about that for a minute. "I guess so. I just... I won't let the pain win, you know? I didn't then and I won't now. Or ever. I won't live like that," he said, voice shifting from thoughtful to determined.

Viggo's hands stopped rubbing his feet and slipped up Orlando's legs until Viggo was kneeling before him. A hint of a smile pulled at Viggo's mouth but his eyes were filled with gentleness as he pulled Orlando forward into a strong embrace.

"Good. I like you this way. So alive," Viggo whispered into Orli's neck.

Orlando squeezed him tight, feeling so... Proud, maybe? Pleased, for sure. And loved.

*****

Orlando woke up the next morning in Viggo's bed, a still-warm cup of tea on the nightstand and a note, with the weird Tibetan chimes Viggo called an alarm clock ringing faintly. The note read: "Glad you liked the massage, and I'll take the fact that you fell asleep as a compliment. Did you know how hard you are to move when you're asleep? I'm going in early to practice whacking Orcs with my sword. See you there. Oh, and don't steal my jeans again; they're laughably big on you. - Viggo"

By the time Orlando got finished with make-up he was almost late and people were beginning to ask where he was. One of his elf ears kept itching and he hadn't had time to stretch, so he was still a little stiff even after the fabulous massage the night before. When the break for lunch came, well after noon, he was famished and tired. Swiping a sandwich, he headed back to the trailer to stretch and rest a bit before they got started again.

Viggo was there, reading a book on the couch, so Orlando headed over to his make-up chair. Which had a black puffy seat cover thingie on it. "Oi, what's this?" he asked.

Viggo put the book down and came over. "Sit down," he said, fiddling with some cords attached to it.

Orlando gave him a puzzled look. "What is it? Is it going to make farting noises? Electrocute me? It doesn't play music, does it?"

"It's a massaging and heating seat cover. Now sit down," Viggo ordered. "Just try it."

"All right." Orlando sat down tentatively. The seat cover began to vibrate, first at the small of his back, then shoulders, and as he leaned back, at his neck. His eyes slid closed and an expression of bliss relaxed his face.

After a few minutes, he moaned. "'S makin' my arse tingle."

Viggo laughed. "Is that good or bad?"

"Mmm. Good." His whole body was unwinding. The heat was lovely and the vibrations really were making him melt.

Well, most of him.

"You're supposed to be relaxing, not getting a hard-on," Viggo chuckled, leaning in to nuzzle his neck.

"How can I help it when you're staring at my crotch and my arse is tingling?" Orli replied.

Viggo's hands were on his knees, sliding up his thighs, gripping his hips, and oh yes, just there, rubbing at his crotch, making his cock even harder. "Did I mention how fucking hot those leggings are on you?" he purred.

Orlando moaned. "Tell me again."

"I can barely stop myself from ripping them off of you and devouring you, right now. I bought that for you, so you'd relax, but all I want to do now is ravish you with my mouth and then bend you over the counter and fuck you long and hard."

Orlando was trembling and panting. He dove forward, grabbing Viggo's shoulders and crushing their mouths together, delving in for a taste with his tongue. Viggo lurched toward him, awkward on the chair, sliding between Orlando's open legs, hands rising up Orli's face to stroke his ears.

His elf ears. Which of course he couldn't feel. He giggled, breaking the kiss. "They're not real, remember?"

"Don't care," Viggo said in a husky voice, "They're fucking hot. The ears, the leggings, you're just so gorgeous, I can barely control myself when I see you as Legolas. Need to fuck the elf."

Orlando wanted to say something about Viggo having an elf fetish, but at that moment Viggo's mouth latched onto that spot on his neck that always got to him and a hand gripped his cock, which was beginning to ache. Orli's hips jerked forward, and Viggo quickly pushed his tunic aside and untied his leggings. Instead of replying, he groaned and pulled Viggo's mouth back to his for another devouring kiss.

"Going to make you come," Viggo murmured, pulling away and shoving Orlando's leggings down to his thighs, squeezing his cock tight for a moment before bending over to suck it down greedily.

The dull thud of Orlando's head hitting the back of the chair was inaudible over the gasping moan he let out. His ears were full of the rushing sound of his blood, Viggo's sloppy wet sucking sounds, and the hum of the chair mat, still vibrating under his arse. "Holy fuck!" he groaned.

Viggo reached away for a few moments to fumble with something, and then wiggled his hand between Orlando's thighs until they obligingly spread apart. As one hand lifted Orli's bollocks out of the way, a slick finger probed, seeking his entrance. Moaning, his body surged up with an involuntary movement, seeking more, wanting more. "Yes, Viggo, fuck! I want you. Want you to take me."

He whimpered as Viggo slowly pulled off, giving his shaft a few slow licks before releasing it. "Here ?" he asked, "Now?"

There was a loud knock on the door before Orlando could reply, although he was already nodding. They both froze at the sound of Beanie's voice booming through the door.

"I can hear you moaning in there, you fucking tossers! Stop bloody shagging and get yer clothes back on; I need my wallet. I'm coming back in two minutes and I'm not fucking waiting," he shouted.

Without a word, Viggo winked at Orlando before leaning over and sucking Orli's cock into his throat in one smooth movement. At the same time, he slid his wet finger into Orli's arse, immediately finding and stroking his prostate. He'd been close already, but combined with the knowledge that Bean would be back any second and that they were about to get caught, Orlando was on sensory overload. All that pressure, that wetness, that jolt of electricity from the finger within him, Viggo's fucking brilliant mouth, was just too much for him. "Shit, yes, Viggo!" he shouted as his climax wrenched through him and he came blissfully down Viggo's throat.

Dazed and shaking, Orli barely felt Viggo rearranging his clothing before pulling him close. Then Viggo's mouth was on Orlando's, pushing the salty remains of his own orgasm into his mouth. Orli was too out of it to be grossed out as much as he thought he should be. He swallowed, opening his eyes, and tried to focus on Viggo.

"Fucking hell, mate! You trying to kill me?" He took a few deep breaths. "We only have a minute before Bean comes back, what about you?"

Viggo shrugged. "No time. Guess I'll have to fuck the elf later."

"My poor, frustrated, randy ranger," Orlando chuckled, pulling Viggo close for a tight hug and lingering a kiss. "I'll make it up to you later. Thank you for the massagey chair mat."

That was how Bean found them, after a cursory knock on the door before he strode in. "Well, at least you're dressed," he said with a world-weary sigh as he plonked into his own chair. "Don't fucking lock me out of my own trailer, right? Don't care what you blokes do when I'm not here, but..."

Orlando tuned him out, leaning him back onto his chair mat. Mmm, and his arse was still tingly. Yeah, this was going to be a good day.

*****

Bean's grousing lasted all the way through the rest of the filming that afternoon, despite Viggo's attempts to change the conversation and promises that it would never happen again, at least not while Sean was around. No, this was simply too good to let go, in Bean's opinion, and he was fully enjoying teasing the two of them until Orli's ears turned so red that the line between them and the gelatin elf ears was visible.

That evening Elijah and Dom had a new pub they wanted to try out for dinner, and they invited everyone to join them. Sir Ian made sure Viggo and Orli were seated next to each other.

"So boys," he asked, with a naughty twinkle in his eye, "Where are you in your lesson plans?"

Orlando's eyes widened as his cheeks flushed. "Um, what do you mean?" he squawked.

Viggo squeezed his thigh reassuringly. "I was asking Ian about courses of study in medieval times." Orli sighed in relief as the others chuckled.

"No details!" Elijah laughed, "Don't sully my fragile virgin ears!"

"Is that the fake Hobbit ears you mean, then?" Billy asked, winking.

"We're actually almost finished," Viggo said, ignoring the resulting scuffle to answer Ian's question. He had a strange tone to his voice that Orlando couldn't place, quiet and perhaps a bit... regretful? Something that made Orli feel a touch melancholy.

"Well, I'm glad you found someone you liked kissing more than me," Sean laughed. "That could have been awkward."

"You kissed Astin?" Elijah gasped. "Man, I guess you did try everyone, you tramp."

"Did not!" Orli denied, defending his honor. Such as it was, anyway.

"Bollocks, I missed my chance," Karl said with a melodramatic sigh, down at the end of the table.

Viggo glared. "Damn right you did." It was hard to tell if he was kidding, with that mad, possessive gleam in his eyes.

Orlando squirmed, fighting the blood rising in his cheeks and crotch. Possessive Viggo! Awesome, man! He knew he was failing to stifle his shit-eating grin because Dom rolled his eyes and pulled a face.

"Look at that lovely blush," Sir Ian exclaimed. "Does he do that in bed?"

Ok, now Orli's face was just fucking on fire. Dirty old man. He made a mental note to pay Ian back for this. Someday. After he grew some bollocks, definitely.

Once again, Liv was the one to jump in to his defense. "Well, I think it's sweet. Who wouldn't blush with Viggo getting all cave-man about them? When was the last time someone acted like he was claiming you?" she asked. "Or she, I guess."

Silence reigned for a moment while the others appeared to think about that. Elijah cleared his throat. "If we're done eating, I'll go get a round," he said, getting up. "Dom's out of beer, and you know how cranky he gets when he's sober."

Orlando gave him a grateful look, glad for the change of topic. A smile grew, first in Elijah's eyes, then his mouth, before he turned away to the bar. Returning with a tray a while later, they exchanged another look. "You seem happy, man. Drink up," he said, quietly, as he handed Orli his pint.

Orlando smiled and finally knew things were really all right.

*****

They were barely inside before Viggo attacked Orlando. Or maybe he attacked Viggo. Orlando wasn't really sure, what with his brain having stopped functioning as Viggo pushed him up against the door, mouths sealed together, hands opening his jeans and pushing them to the floor with his boxers, urgent and needy.

"Jesus fuck!" Orli gasped, struggling for air as he pushed Viggo back slightly to toe off his shoes and step out of his clothes.

"That's the idea," Viggo growled, pulling off his own shirt and shoes as Orlando reached for Viggo's waistband. Viggo finished first, pulling him into another kiss, tongues stroking against each other, hands grasping, hips already grinding together against the wall.

Orlando was frustrated as his hands met Viggo's pants, and pushed Viggo away to finish getting rid of them. He had to laugh at the picture they made: both disheveled, flushed, panting, Viggo in socks and briefs, jeans stuck around his knees; Orlando in just a t-shirt and socks.

"We'll look less ridiculous naked," Viggo encouraged, as he disentangled himself from the rest of his clothes.

Orlando got starkers as fast as possible, following Viggo over to the couch. "Bedroom too far?" he joked.

The look Viggo gave him shut him up, as well as making his cock twitch. "Lie down on your back," Viggo ordered in a soft rumble.

Obligingly, he did as he was told. Viggo opened the drawer in the coffee table and pulled out some supplies as he knelt astride Orlando. Orli's hands slowly covered Viggo's thighs, traveling up his waist and chest, brushing over his nipples, to finally grab his shoulders and pull him down for a breathless kiss. The taste of him, the way he just simply stole Orlando's control with his lips and tongue, still amazed Orlando. He couldn't stop his body from twisting under Viggo's, pushing up to rub their leaking shafts together. He groaned in protest when Viggo pulled back to get the lube and condom from the table, and handed the condom to Orli.

"No, on you," Viggo corrected, as Orli started to position it on Viggo. "I'm going to ride you. I'm going to feel you so deep inside me, you'll never get out. And I'm going to come all over you and mark you as mine."

The noise Orli made in response was almost embarrassing, it was so debauched and whorish. Needy. He quickly unrolled the latex sheath and watched Viggo reach behind himself with fingers slick with lube. "Don't you want me to...?" he asked.

"No. No time. Need you *now*," Viggo answered as he bent over to place a quick kiss on Orlando's lips. He stayed there, their lips brushing, as he aligned Orli's cock and slowly pushed down on it, breathing deeply.

Orlando's hands clenched reflexively, digging into Viggo's thighs as he was squeezed into the tightest channel he had ever been in. It was a wonder it could even fit; he felt just about strangled or something, and fuck, that had to be hurting Viggo. "You all right?" he whispered.

Viggo's head was tipped back, face twisted with concentration, eyes closed. He took several deep breaths before answering, "Yeah. Exactly what I wanted." He led Orlando's hands to his erection, and they began to stroke it slowly as Viggo rocked back and forth.

It was so tight that Orlando felt like he could barely breathe, and he sighed in relief when the pressure finally diminished enough to slide smoothly in and out. Viggo set a fast pace, and Orli felt his body racing towards the peak, one hand on Viggo's hip, the other jerking Viggo's cock fast, as he bucked and thrust up into the tight clenching grip. "So fucking tight, so deep..." he moaned. "Never felt anything as good as this is with you."

Viggo smiled, a bit breathless himself. "So far inside me," he panted.

"God yes, I'm gonna..." Orli gulped, trying to hold back.

"Come for me. Now," Viggo rumbled.

"Oh fuck yes." Sensation flooded his body and Orlando shouted, "Viggo, I love you," as he came, shaking with overwhelming pleasure.

A moment later, he felt Viggo's legs stiffen. Together, they gave a few short tugs to Viggo's cock and he groaned deeply, covering Orlando's chest and stomach with splatters of come. Panting and shaking, Orli's hand still coaxing the last of it out of him, Viggo spread his wet fingers across Orlando's body, before collapsing to the side, breathing hard.

Slowly, Orlando refocused on reality. Viggo was idly trailing his fingers through the sticky mess, painting or writing words or something. Orli basked in the afterglow, trailing his hand up and down Viggo's spine.

Wow. That had been... different. Intense. A bit... kinky? Needy? A little unusual, that was for sure, he thought.

Wait.

Holy bleeding hell. He'd said he loved Viggo. Right as he came. Shit! No, no, no! That wasn't how he wanted to tell him! Not that Orli had had any specific plans, but this was definitely not how it was supposed to go, this was an anti-plan. Fuck! Everyone knows guys don't mean it when they say they love you during sex. Argh! Orlando wanted to hit himself, scream for being so stupid. Stupid mouth! Stupid brain! Kept failing to intercede before he started talking. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck!

He suddenly noticed that Viggo had stopped moving his hand and was now looking at him with a bemused expression. Orlando smiled weakly. "You ok?" he asked.

Viggo nodded. "You? Sorry if that was a bit, um, too... much." He cleared his throat. "Dominant."

Orlando nodded, then shook his head. "No, it was fine. Kinky's fine." He absently lifted the hand that wasn't around Viggo to scratch at his stomach. "Bit itchy though."

"Shower then?" Viggo smiled.

He nodded again, "Yeah. But, um, I meant that," he blurted.

Viggo's brow quirked. "What?"

Panic time. Maybe Viggo hadn't even heard him. "Uh. Um, what I said." He cleared his throat, trying to remember what else he'd said. "About, uh, sex with you feeling better than with anyone else ever has," he stumbled.

Viggo squeezed him tight. "Yeah? I'm glad."

"Yeah. Like it's... everything I ever wanted sex to be, but just never was," Orli said slowly. "Not sure if it's because it was with girls before or..." he hesitated before finishing, "because it's you."

There. That was as close as he could get to saying it again, right now; the L word itself was too scary. Stupid fucking mouth.

The smile on Viggo's face before he kissed him was full of tender emotion, but Orli still sensed something a bit off in his kiss. Like Viggo was holding back or something.

Which was silly, right?

"I think sex with you is pretty fantastic, too," Viggo said, disentangling their limbs and standing up carefully. "How about that shower now?"

Orli nodded yet again and watched Viggo walk down the hallway and go into the bathroom.

Huh. Well, that hadn't gone quite right.

Sighing, Orlando got up and headed to the bathroom. Now he was going to have to figure out how to tell Viggo he loved him *again*, as well as find out how Viggo felt about him.

Maybe he could just tell him while he's asleep, Orli thought. Subconscious messages. Yeah, that'll bloody work.

Shaking his head at himself, he entered the steamy room and squared his shoulders. He would figure something out, and soon. Or die trying, he thought, as he pulled back the shower curtain and got in.

*****

The next few days were very long, and for once it didn't have much to do with the actual filming. Orli's head was a mess, full of regret and doubt, at saying the things he had during sex with Viggo and having no bloody clue how to make it all better again. He was sitting on his couch, watching late-night telly again, and drinking a beer before bed.

He was so sick of all this uncertainty and self-doubt. This wasn't like him, truly like him, but it was all he'd seemed to do for the last few months. Ever since he'd gotten together with Viggo.

If only Viggo would just tell him flat out how he felt, Orli wished. Was it just sex or did Viggo, well, love him back? Why was he doing this, these lessons? Just because they were friends and Orlando was fanciable? What was Viggo getting out of all of this?

It wasn't like Orli hated thinking, it was just that this kind of thinking, this wibbling snarl of circular thoughts, was driving him mad. He was going to snap eventually.

Then again, maybe he should be more patient with himself. True, he'd been doing a lot of navel-contemplating lately, but... A fuck of a lot had been happening to him, too. This whole gay thing was pretty big. He didn't feel uncertain about himself anymore, actually, which was bloody nice for a change. He was attracted to Viggo, sex was fucking brilliant, and he was even quite certain he was in love with the man. Apparently he was bisexual. He'd told his mates on the film and survived that, and it hadn't been such a big deal, even.

Yeah, ok. Maybe things were all right after all. It was just this piece about Viggo that was the problem.

Sighing, Orli made himself relax. He could handle this. He knew who he was and what he wanted. Sure, sometimes he was still a bit of a twat; and no he didn't actually have an answer or a plan for how to get one, but he would think of something.

I mean, he knew how Viggo felt about him. Well, he was pretty sure he knew. Viggo had given him that chair mat; that was really thoughtful. He took care of him all the time. Viggo didn't do that for his other mates, at least not to that extent. Orlando just had to get him to say it, then.

Hmmm...

Or accept that Viggo would say it when he was ready. Maybe he was waiting for Orlando to say it first. While they weren't fucking, he mentally cringed. Maybe Viggo didn't know how he felt. Maybe being older made you more confident in some areas, but more guarded with your heart. Maybe...

Well, he could do that, say it first. Hell, he'd *done* that. He just had to do it again, then.

Right. Tomorrow he'd call Viggo and see when their next day off together was. They'd plan the next lesson, and Orli would tell Viggo he loved him. That was the plan. This would work.

*****

The next evening, sitting in their make-up chairs after they were respectively de-elfed and de-rangered, Orli remembered the conversation in the pub from a few evenings ago. They were alone, so this seemed like a good time.

"So, you said we were at the end of the lessons, the other night. Is that right?" he asked.

Viggo looked up from the journal he was scribbling in. "Yeah. We are. We've covered all but one of the seven liberal arts: grammar, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, music, and geometry," he said, holding up a finger for each one. "Astronomy is the only one left."

"That's a bit sad," Orlando said. And it was, thinking about it like that. That they were almost finished. Especially when he wanted so much for them to be just beginning.

Viggo was quiet for a moment, moving his pen across the page absently. "Yeah."

They sat for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts. Eventually, Viggo cleared his throat, realizing Orlando was staring at him. "Um, actually the moon was new last night, so it should be good and dark the next couple of nights. Do you want to... make a date? Go star gazing?"

Orli nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. The stars here are so cool, so different and... upside down," he finished lamely. Good one, Bloom, way to impress him with your eloquence, he cringed. "Um, how's tomorrow night?"

"Good. How about your place?" Viggo suggested. "Star gazing at the beach?"

Orlando nodded. "Perfect. Dress warmly, though, yeah? It's getting cold."

Viggo smiled. "I will."

"Great," Orli smiled back, getting out of his chair. "Tomorrow, then," and kissed Viggo on the cheek as he left. Star-gazing, how perfect! A bit cliched maybe, but still. It would be perfect.

Now he just had to figure out what to say.

*****

Viggo had been late, and Orlando was still vibrating with nervous energy as they walked from his house out to the sand, loaded down with blankets. He felt as nervous as if he was going to propose to Viggo or something twee like that, which was dumb. If it felt right, he'd say something. If it didn't, he wouldn't. Yeah, he thought, making himself take deep breaths, it would be all right.

And Viggo seemed... off, as well. Distant. Maybe he was picking up on Orli's nervousness. Bollocks.

They spread out the blankets on the sand, making sure there were no stones, and Orlando proceeded to make them a bed of sorts, inviting Viggo to lie down under the covers before piling more thick ones on top of them. They lay together, side by side, the cold sand under them and the blankets shielding the moist air from their bodies. It was brisk, but not too cold, and very soothing, with the sound of the waves washing up on the beach. The sky was an inky black, dotted with thousands of tiny pinpoints of light.

"Beautiful," Orlando breathed.

Viggo nodded. "Yeah... I was actually curious about the constellations, so I asked some of the stunt guys about the Maori ones. That one," he pointed, "is Orion, the Hunter in the Northern sky, but the Maori see it as a cooking pot. And there's the Southern Cross, of course. They say it's an anchor, holding the waka, the great canoe, to the earth. In their stories, the Milky Way is a huge fish..."

"What's that one?" Orlando asked, pointing at another part of the sky.

"Hmm... Viggo traced the stars in that area with his finger. "I think that's Scorpius. I might be wrong, but I think the Maori call it the great fishhook."

"Wow, you did do a bit of work," Orlando said, impressed. "That's so cool. I've been wondering about the stars. Thanks, mate. This is so great."

They lay, content and at peace, just looking at the stars for a while. Orlando wiggled his hand through the blankets and took hold of Viggo's, caressing the roughened fingers. He smiled to himself and hummed a bit.

"Holding hands at midnight, 'neath the starry sky," he sang in a murmur.

"Nice work if you can get it," Viggo responded. Their eyes met and they smiled at each other.

Orlando knew the love filling him up was showing in his eyes, and it seemed to be reflected back in Viggo's. Now. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. "I love you," he said.

The change on Viggo's face was amazing -- his eyebrows lifted in an expression of pure surprise, his lips pulled up into a smile, and his eyes softened. His mouth opened and closed twice, seeming totally shocked. In the end, instead of speaking, he pulled Orlando close, holding him, hugging him, crushing their bodies together in an embrace as intimate as anything sexual had ever been.

Viggo was silent though, and after a moment, Orlando exhaled and relaxed. It was okay. He could wait. He slowly pulled back and placed a soft kiss on Viggo's lips. "I just wanted to tell you."

Viggo opened his eyes and nodded, still looking a bit dazzled. "Um." He cleared his throat. "Uh... This wasn't on the curriculum," he finally said.

Orlando couldn't help but laugh at the overwhelmed look on Viggo's face. He kissed him again, with all the emotion in his heart, and said, "Screw the curriculum, Viggo. Just love me."

Viggo's arms squeezed him tight. Their eyes met and held, and finally Viggo spoke. "I do, Orlando. I love you. I have for so long."

The smile on Orlando's face almost hurt, but that wasn't why his throat had closed up. He snuggled into Viggo's shoulder and they lay back again, wrapped around each other and filled with bliss.

They lay there, watching the stars, upside down from everything Orlando knew before, and yet completely perfect.

~the end~