Solo performance

Title: Solo performance
Chapter Title: No more tears
Characters: Craig Parker, David Wenham, Elijah Wood, Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Marton Csokas, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, -Other-
Genres: Angst
Rating: G-PG.13
Warnings:
Summary: Surprise! Still Sean’s birthday – it’s a long one... Roo and Eric finally talk!
Disclaimer: Whatever you say, it’s true! *pouts* Well, at least in my dirty little mind...

22. No more tears


“Fuck ,but I’m feeling totally overdressed!” Karl groaned and took another gulp of his beer as he was looking around himself.

“Well,” Harry grinned and leant in to kiss the corner of Karl’s mouth. “You could always undress... I don’t think that Sean would mind...”

“No...” Karl smiled softly at his lover. “Most probably he would join me in a sec...” He brushed Harry’s hair back. “Remember...” he whispered. “We have the kids here...”

Harry cocked his head and let his lips brush over Karl’s in a soft caress. “Has that ever stopped us?” he asked, drawing up his eyebrows.

“It’s starting again,” Elijah mumbled in another corner of the room.

“What?” Henry asked who was sitting next to Elijah.

Elijah pointed into the dimly lit room with his index-finger. “The Fellowship-orgy,” he muttered quietly and took a sip of his beer. “See? They’re pairing off already!”

“So what?” Henry chuckled. “There are mostly couples in this room, so of course they pair off!”

Elijah shook his head. “No, this is different.” He lifted his gaze and looked at Henry from knowing eyes. “This is only the beginning...” he said. “Later there’ll be groups of three or more and they’ll be all over each other!”

Henry shook his head, standing up to walk the few steps to where Molly was standing. “I think Lij is a little drunk,” he explained.


~*~


“Fuck...” Dave ducked his head when he saw Eric approach. Fortunately Eric was taller than most other people in the room and so Dave could get away from the other man in time. Trying not to draw anybody’s attention, he quietly slipped through the terrace door, joining Beanie who was outside, lightening the grill.

“Hey, bro!” Dave smiled, stretching out his hands to warm them over the fire.

Beanie pulled up his eyebrows. “What are you doing here, little brother?” he asked, smiling softly.

“Hiding,” Dave replied, combing his hands through his blond hair. “But I really could ask you the same question, Sean,” he pointed out. “It’s your birthday and instead of celebrating it with your friends you’re doing the same thing I am trying to do: hiding.”

Sean lifted his hands up in defeat. “OK, you got me!” he laughed, pointing at the grill in front of him. “But somebody has to feed the guests and...”

“I can do that,” Dave offered and took the fork Beanie was holding in one of his hands from the other man. “You know that BBQ is the Australian national dish?” he asked with a smirk on his lips and started to put some steaks on the grill.

“Thank you, Dave,” Sean grinned and kissed the younger man’s cheek.

“Happy birthday, bro,” Dave replied, returning the kiss.

“Dave?” Beanie turned around one more time to face his friend before he walked back inside. “You don’t have to hide from Eric, bro,” he told Dave softly. “He’s a really decent bloke once you get to know him.”

Dave looked at Sean, a surprised expression on his face. “Thank you.”


~*~


“Roo?”

Craig frowned and looked up at the tall man standing next to him. “Sorry?” he asked, sipping on his glass of red wine.

“Roo!” Eric repeated, his chocolate eyes wide with worry. “I’ve lost my Roo!”

“Yeah...” Craig nodded slowly. “And who would that be?”

“Dave!” Eric explained, holding his hand at his shoulder height. “He’s smaller than me, has reddish blond hair, a cute grin and an even cuter butt...”

Craig laughed heartily. “I think I know who you mean!” He offered Eric his hand. “Eric right? I’m Craig, a close friend of David’s.”

“Hi!” Eric took Craig’s hand into his. “You don’t happen to have seen our dear friend?”

“Sorry, but no,” Craig replied, shaking his head.

Eric nodded and walked off to continue his search for Dave. “Have you seen Roo...um...Dave?” he finally asked some of the younger party guests sitting in a corner.

“Wenham?” Henry Mortensen asked, pointing at the terrace when Eric nodded. “He’s out there. Taking care of the BBQ or something...”

“You see?” Elijah whispered when Eric had left. “It’s starting already... They’re pairing off... All of them!”

“Sssh...” Henry said, patting Elijah’s shoulder. “It’ll be alright.” He motioned at Hunter to hand Lij another beer.

“What’s wrong with him?” Hunter asked Henry when Elijah wasn’t paying attention for a while. “I mean everybody’s behaving in a totally normal way!”

“I know,” Henry nodded firmly. “But Lij thinks they’re up to something...”

~*~


“Roo!” Eric exclaimed happily when he joined Dave outside on the terrace. “What are you doing all on your own here?” he asked.

“Um...grilling?” Dave said, looking down at the floor when Eric pulled up his eyebrows. “OK...hiding,” he admitted quietly, a trecherous blush creeping up his cheeks.

“Hiding?” Eric frowned and walked closer to Dave, putting a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. “Am I making you feel uncomfortable, Roo?” Eric’s voice was low, sending shivers down Dave’s back.

“Maybe a little,” Dave whispered shily, the fork nearly slipping from his hand.

“Well, then we have to change that...” Eric breathed and reached his arm around Dave to put his hand supportingly on Dave’s. “Some nice, big sausages you have here, Roo,” Eric grinned and then let go of Dave, stepping around the grill.

Dave felt his flushed cheeks with his free hand. “I’m not gonna play `Hide the sausage´ with you!” he mumbled, carefully lifting his gaze to look at Eric’s face.

“No?” Eric looked honestly disappointed. “What a pity...”

Dave sighed deeply and put his fork down, his eyes meeting Eric’s. “Why are you doing this?” he asked. “You just follow me everywhere and you...you make me feel uncomfortable, I haven’t blushed that often since I was a teenager! I mean I don’t even know you!!”

Eric nodded slowly and then took Dave’s hand into his large one. “Eric Banadinovich, born in Melbourne on August 9th 1968, favourite colour blue.” He shook Dave’s hand.

Dave stared cluelessly at the other man. “Sorry, but...what?”

“I just introduced myself to you,” Eric grinned. “I’m no longer a stranger to you. Come on, it’s your turn, Roo!”

Dave sighed, feeling a little smile tug at the corners of his lips. “David Wenham,” he finally said. “Born September 21st 1965 in Marrickville, Sydney. And my favourite colour is also blue.”

“See?” Eric beamed. “You’re feeling better around me already!” he pointed out and Dave had to admit that it was true. It was very hard not to like Eric and his boyish charme.


~*~


“It felt good to talk to somebody,” Orli sighed, stretching his arms to both sides. “Thank you.”

“No, really,” Lorna laughed, brushing her blond hair out of her eyes. “I think we both needed this...”

Orli nodded and then moved to stand up. “I think we should go back now,” he mumbled, sounding a little sad. “They’ll probably be searching for us already...” He reached out his hand to pull Lorna up, smiling warmly when he let his fingers brush over hers. “It was nice to meet you...” Orli bent down to kiss Lorna’s cheek, bretahing in her sweet scent. “I would love to see you again....”

Lorna blushed a lovely shade of crimson. “I think I’d like that, too,” she whispered back softly and let her head rest on Orli’s shoulder.

Tenderly Orli kissed her hair. “OK,” he said and put his arm around her waist. “Let’s go back...”


~*~


“Marty!”

Marton’s eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly found himself with an armful of Craig, the smaller man’s lips pressed firmly on his. “What?” he gasped when the need for air finally drove them apart.

“Come,” Craig smiled happily, pulling Marton after him by his hand. “There...” he tapped his index-finger against the window in front of them.

Marton’s lips stretched to a broad smile as he saw Dave and Eric standing outside on the terrace. They were almost close enough to touch, Dave’s body brushing against Eric’s when he moved to turn the sausages around on the grill.

Tears were stinging in Marton’s eyes when he realised that Dave was smiling. For the first time in years Dave seemed to fully relax in the company of another man. “Come,” Marton whispered softly into Craig’s ear and pulled his lover away from the window. “Let’s leave them to themselves...”


~*~


“Ring ring!”

Confused Dave looked up at Eric who was holding his thumb to his ear anmd his little finger to his lips. “What?”

Eric rolled his eyes with a grin. “The phone is ringing! Answer it!” Eric urged the smaller man.

Dave snorted. “We’re standing next to each other, you don’t need to call me!”

“I’ll call my best mate then!” Eric decided. “Pick up the phone, Roo!” he insisted and with a sigh Dave lifted up his hand in the same fashion as Eric’s. He cleared his throat. “Hello?”

“Hi Kevin! It’s Eric! How are you mate?”

//Why am I doing this?// Dave thought, but nontheless answered the man’s question. “Oh...um...fine, I’m just...preparing dinner,” Dave said, gripping the fork in his hand a little tighter. “And yourself?”

“Better than ever,” Eric smiled dreamily, brushing his large hand through his thick hair. “Remember when I told you that I’d visit a friend of mine in London?”

“Yes...” Dave mumbled carefully.

“Well, I met this guy, Roo,” Eric continued, the dreamy expression staying on his face. “He literally fell into my arms.” Eric laughed softly when Dave blushed again.

“Um...You’re giving him nicknames already?” Dave coughed, trying to cover his embarassement. “Why are you calling him Roo?” he wanted to know.

Eric’s grin softened. “He’s a little clumsy, my Roo,” he explained. “And he blushes really prettily. In some way he just reminds me of Roo...”

Dave pulled up his eyesbrows, but didn’t say anything and let Eric continue.

“I also think that he can get quite bouncy about things when excited. He doesn’t show it, but I can see it deep within his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes...” Eric captured Dave’s eyes with his gaze. “I think that somebody has hurt my Roo in the past, maybe even broken his heart...” Eric breathed softly, his voice sounding a little raspy.

Dave wanted to look at the ground, but he found himself unable to tear his eyes from the warm brown eyes holding him captive. “Really?” he croaked instead, fighting the urge to run away and hide.

“Yes... I want to protect him, make sure that nobody ever hurts my Roo again,” Eric confessed, reaching his free hand out to let it brush over Dave’s hair in a tender caress. “I want to make him happy...” Eric let his other hand fall down as if disconnecting the call. “Your turn, Roo,” he whispered.

Dave brought his shaking hand up to his face again. “Ring...ring...”

“Hello?”

“Hi, ...Jared...” Dave said in a strained voice. “I know it’s been a long time since we’ve talked last, but...I just don’t know anybody else to talk to...”

“So why did you call me then?” Eric asked tenderly.

Dave swallowed the lump that had started forming in his throat. “Eliza...” he finally whispered. “After so many years I finally got her back...my daughter’s back...”

Eric arched his eyebrows a little, but decided to remain silent and let Dave speak.

“You remember how crushed I was when Kate took her from me back then, claiming that I was a bad father and a pervert...just because I prefered Karl and Harry to her...” Dave took breath in slowly as he ignored Eric’s surprised gasp. “And then you left me, brother...” he said in a dark voice. “I was so angry at you when you died, leaving me alone...” Dave felt tears forming in his eyes, but continued speaking anyway. “But that’s long ago... I met somebody, you know? He’s called Eric and he’s able to make me blush like a fucking teenager...”

Eric grinned proudly despite the concerned look in his eyes.

“But most important of all,” Dave sighed. “I feel save around him. He takes care about me without me having to ask for it. I like the way he looks out for me and catches me whenever I fall...” Tears were now streaming freely down Dave’s face. “And he makes me laugh. With him I can finally laugh again...” Dave let his arms fall down in defeat when the sobs finally took him, shaking his body violently.

“Sssh... It’s alright...” Eric whispered tenderly and wrapped his strong arms around Dave, pulling the smaller man against his broad chest. “I’m here now...” he whispered into Dave’s hair when the older man had calmed down a little.

Dave lifted his gaze to look at Eric from wide eyes wet with tears. What had he done to earn this kind man’s open affection?

“I’m here...” Eric repeated, following the wet trails on Dave’s cheek with his thumb. “I won’t let anybody hurt you ever again,”he promised and lowered his head to let his lips touch Dave’s in a first sweet kiss. “No more tears, Roo...”

Tbc...


*sighs* Now this is officially the longest fic I’ve written so far – by pages, not chapters.... Champagne for everybody! This gotta be celebrated!

And I so did NOT get my nose pierced last night... It’s all Tarlwen’s fault anyway. She should’ve stopped me – as if I wasn’t old enough to decide things like that myself.

Um...feedback anybody? What ya think of the Tigger/Roo-interaction in this one?