Ficlet: Caring (1/1)
Jun. 29th, 2006 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
salixbabylonTitle/Prompt: "Caring" from the 28-fics-meme (30 actually)
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
charly2004
Author:salixbabylon
Rating: R
Word Count: 996
Disclaimer: Complete fiction. I am implying nothing about the real sexual preferences of the actors herein. Absolutely no disrespect is meant to them.
Orlando hated the word "care." It was a banal, insipid word, totally non-descriptive and vague. Annoyingly so. "Take care of yourself," "I care about you," "I don't care at all." The word didn't mean anything at all and he was beginning to think it was just a matter of politeness, just something you said...
*****
"You going to be all right?" Viggo asked, sitting next to his bed after he'd been released from hospital after breaking a rib.
"Yeah of course. I'll be fine," Orlando said, yawning.
"You should take better care of yourself."
Orlando blinked at him. "It was an accident. I fell off a fucking horse."
"Yeah but you do other things; you're more reckless than the other boys. Do you think you have something to prove?" Viggo asked in that quite voice of his.
Orlando shrugged.
"I don't think you have anything to prove."
"Maybe not to you," Orlando mumbled. He thought that he probably wouldn't have said that without the painkillers, but it was out there now.
Viggo gave him a look. "You have to take care of yourself – it's important."
"Yes, Mum."
"No seriously; you're making a film. People have made an investment in you. You have an obligation to make sure you don't screw up the filming schedule."
Orlando blinked. "Hadn't really thought of that."
"I know you hadn't. Which is why I'm telling you."
He nodded.
"So are you going to make more of an effort?" Viggo demanded. He sounded very fatherly, and Orlando suddenly remember that he was, in fact, someone's father.
He shrugged. "I don't need you to be my mum, to take care of me."
Viggo snorted. "Someone does."
"Don't. I'm an adult," Orlando said, trying not to sound pouty.
"Then fucking act like one," Viggo said, getting up from his chair and leaving. The sound of the door echoed loud in Orlando's head until he fell asleep.
*****
A scant few weeks later a similar conversation played out, over a slight concussion Viggo had sustained from one of the battle sequences.
"Didn't you just lecture me about taking care of myself?" Orlando ranted, pacing Viggo's bedroom.
Viggo growled in response.
Orlando sat down, taking a deep breath. He reached out one hand and brushed some hair out of Viggo's eyes. "Come on, now, fair's fair. If I have to, so do you."
"That's no fun," Viggo replied, relaxing.
"No you're right. Why don't you take care of me, and I'll take care of you?" Orlando offered nervously, his heart in his eyes.
Viggo smiled and their lips met in a tentative first kiss.
*****
Months later they were in bed with each other. They'd been fucking for a few weeks now, the strain of night-shooting finally over and libidos back to normal, but too weak to resist the attraction they felt for each other.
Orlando, overwhelmed by emotion as Viggo's cock slid into him, started to speak. "I lo-"
Vigo shook his head and stopped him with a kiss. "Don't say it, don't use that word. It makes everything complicated," he whispered.
Orlando's brows creased. "Fine: I care for you."
"I care for you too, you poncy elf," Viggo smiled.
This time it was making love, not fucking, and for the first time Orlando understood the difference.
*****
Almost a year later, Orlando was clenching his mobile phone with a death grip as Viggo's soft voice growled at him, tearing him to pieces for flirting with every man possible in the cast and crew of his latest project, in full view of the press. Berating him.
"Do you even know what you're doing to your career? You can't dress like that, can't act like that, can't fucking grab every man around you," Viggo was saying.
Orlando interrupted him. "Sod the career: I don't care about it! I just want to be who I am."
Viggo's laugh was cruel. "You can't be who you are and be a movie star, Orlando. They won't let you. You have to play their game and follow their rules."
"But I don't ca-"
"Yes, you do care, Orlando. It's what you wanted more than anything in the world your whole life, the reason you got out of that hospital bed and walked."
Orlando was quiet. "What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know, it's your fucking life!" Viggo shouted two thousand miles away.
"Are you saying we can't see each other?" Orlando asked, his throat clenching.
"Of course that's what I'm saying! It's what I've been saying for months now." Impatience twisted Viggo's words into something more painful than Orlando had ever felt before.
"But... We're friends, it would look strange if we didn't talk to each other at the premieres..." His plea hung in the air, questioning.
"Fuck that. Goddamit Orlando, don't you care at all about your career?"
"No, I don't! I just care about you. I ca- No, I love you, you fucking bastard!"
Silence met Orlando's declaration, the first time he'd managed to say those words out loud.
"I told you not to use that word," Viggo said quietly. "Maybe you need to learn to care less."
*****
So Orlando did learn and it was several months before he called Viggo again. When he was connected, he started to apologize for some of the recent rumors that had come out, people piecing together bits from the "Rings - Extras" bits and various interviews, things that hinted that Viggo meant more to Orlando than just a friend and mentor should.
"It doesn't matter," Viggo interrupted. "I don't care anymore."
They talked a bit more, but that was the only phrase Orlando really heard. The only words that actually meant anything.
That night he got unbelievably pissed at the hotel bar and spent the night being sick in his hotel bathroom. Head resting on cold tiles, the taste of vomit in his mouth, he reflected that it just wasn't worth it anymore.
He didn't, couldn't, care.
~end~
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando for
charly2004Author:
salixbabylonRating: R
Word Count: 996
Disclaimer: Complete fiction. I am implying nothing about the real sexual preferences of the actors herein. Absolutely no disrespect is meant to them.
Orlando hated the word "care." It was a banal, insipid word, totally non-descriptive and vague. Annoyingly so. "Take care of yourself," "I care about you," "I don't care at all." The word didn't mean anything at all and he was beginning to think it was just a matter of politeness, just something you said...
"You going to be all right?" Viggo asked, sitting next to his bed after he'd been released from hospital after breaking a rib.
"Yeah of course. I'll be fine," Orlando said, yawning.
"You should take better care of yourself."
Orlando blinked at him. "It was an accident. I fell off a fucking horse."
"Yeah but you do other things; you're more reckless than the other boys. Do you think you have something to prove?" Viggo asked in that quite voice of his.
Orlando shrugged.
"I don't think you have anything to prove."
"Maybe not to you," Orlando mumbled. He thought that he probably wouldn't have said that without the painkillers, but it was out there now.
Viggo gave him a look. "You have to take care of yourself – it's important."
"Yes, Mum."
"No seriously; you're making a film. People have made an investment in you. You have an obligation to make sure you don't screw up the filming schedule."
Orlando blinked. "Hadn't really thought of that."
"I know you hadn't. Which is why I'm telling you."
He nodded.
"So are you going to make more of an effort?" Viggo demanded. He sounded very fatherly, and Orlando suddenly remember that he was, in fact, someone's father.
He shrugged. "I don't need you to be my mum, to take care of me."
Viggo snorted. "Someone does."
"Don't. I'm an adult," Orlando said, trying not to sound pouty.
"Then fucking act like one," Viggo said, getting up from his chair and leaving. The sound of the door echoed loud in Orlando's head until he fell asleep.
A scant few weeks later a similar conversation played out, over a slight concussion Viggo had sustained from one of the battle sequences.
"Didn't you just lecture me about taking care of myself?" Orlando ranted, pacing Viggo's bedroom.
Viggo growled in response.
Orlando sat down, taking a deep breath. He reached out one hand and brushed some hair out of Viggo's eyes. "Come on, now, fair's fair. If I have to, so do you."
"That's no fun," Viggo replied, relaxing.
"No you're right. Why don't you take care of me, and I'll take care of you?" Orlando offered nervously, his heart in his eyes.
Viggo smiled and their lips met in a tentative first kiss.
Months later they were in bed with each other. They'd been fucking for a few weeks now, the strain of night-shooting finally over and libidos back to normal, but too weak to resist the attraction they felt for each other.
Orlando, overwhelmed by emotion as Viggo's cock slid into him, started to speak. "I lo-"
Vigo shook his head and stopped him with a kiss. "Don't say it, don't use that word. It makes everything complicated," he whispered.
Orlando's brows creased. "Fine: I care for you."
"I care for you too, you poncy elf," Viggo smiled.
This time it was making love, not fucking, and for the first time Orlando understood the difference.
Almost a year later, Orlando was clenching his mobile phone with a death grip as Viggo's soft voice growled at him, tearing him to pieces for flirting with every man possible in the cast and crew of his latest project, in full view of the press. Berating him.
"Do you even know what you're doing to your career? You can't dress like that, can't act like that, can't fucking grab every man around you," Viggo was saying.
Orlando interrupted him. "Sod the career: I don't care about it! I just want to be who I am."
Viggo's laugh was cruel. "You can't be who you are and be a movie star, Orlando. They won't let you. You have to play their game and follow their rules."
"But I don't ca-"
"Yes, you do care, Orlando. It's what you wanted more than anything in the world your whole life, the reason you got out of that hospital bed and walked."
Orlando was quiet. "What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know, it's your fucking life!" Viggo shouted two thousand miles away.
"Are you saying we can't see each other?" Orlando asked, his throat clenching.
"Of course that's what I'm saying! It's what I've been saying for months now." Impatience twisted Viggo's words into something more painful than Orlando had ever felt before.
"But... We're friends, it would look strange if we didn't talk to each other at the premieres..." His plea hung in the air, questioning.
"Fuck that. Goddamit Orlando, don't you care at all about your career?"
"No, I don't! I just care about you. I ca- No, I love you, you fucking bastard!"
Silence met Orlando's declaration, the first time he'd managed to say those words out loud.
"I told you not to use that word," Viggo said quietly. "Maybe you need to learn to care less."
So Orlando did learn and it was several months before he called Viggo again. When he was connected, he started to apologize for some of the recent rumors that had come out, people piecing together bits from the "Rings - Extras" bits and various interviews, things that hinted that Viggo meant more to Orlando than just a friend and mentor should.
"It doesn't matter," Viggo interrupted. "I don't care anymore."
They talked a bit more, but that was the only phrase Orlando really heard. The only words that actually meant anything.
That night he got unbelievably pissed at the hotel bar and spent the night being sick in his hotel bathroom. Head resting on cold tiles, the taste of vomit in his mouth, he reflected that it just wasn't worth it anymore.
He didn't, couldn't, care.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-02 04:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-03 03:36 pm (UTC)Or perhaps I have a secret angst-side. ;)
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Date: 2006-07-03 09:35 pm (UTC)