Smack the Dog

Chapter 39: Concerning Viggo
Author: Foofy
Rating: NC17
Summary: Sean feels compelled to get Viggo’s head in order. This, of course, is more complicated than he could ever hope to imagine.

*

The remainder of the evening was uneventful, or at least uneventful in a talking sense. Of course, Orlando insisted on another round and by this time Sean had managed to recharge at least some of his batteries to a point where the suggestion of sex wasn’t about to cause him to have a heart attack. Equally, the sight of Orli straddling Viggo’s waist with his back arching as he came loudly was something that Sean doubted he could tire of.

He hadn’t quite managed to grab Dave to check exactly what was going on between him and Karl, but by the blissful look on Karl’s face Sean had a pretty good idea. Of course, the blissful look was often replaced by a hard territorial glare in Sean’s direction, but the blonde found that he did that to a lot of people. Dave himself was almost as difficult to read as Viggo, although Sean noted that the Australian’s hand was never far from Karl’s thigh, arm or Karl generally.

“ So?” murmured Sean as Karl finally left the room to fetch some alcohol. Dave glanced at him.

“ So?” he echoed. Sean rolled his eyes.

” You and Karl. Remember?” the blonde glanced towards the doorway, as though Karl was likely to come back quicker than expected and have a problem about Sean getting quite so close to his new lover. Karl was odd like that, or at least ridiculously aggressive. Dave shrugged.

“ Doing well I think,” he offered. Sean stared at him.

“ Doing well?” he echoed. “ Dave, *market shares* do well. When you’re talking relationships, you tend to have a little more emphasis, you know?”

Dave looked at him with a raised eyebrow and the expression that suggested that the Australian believed that Sean needed a little break away from reality. “ Okay, I *think* it’s doing well,” he replied dryly. “ Enough emphasis for you or would you like some hand gestures as well? I think I have a couple that might be suitable.”

“ What, you fuck him a couple of times and now you pick up his sarcasm?” Sean folded his arms. Dave grinned and shook his head.

“ Trust me, I wasn’t really focusing on his sarcasm,” he replied. “ Sean, thanks for the concern, but I don’t want to jinx it, you know? Officially, it’s *doing well*,”

“ And unofficially?” Sean dropped his voice. Dave shrugged.

“ Unofficially Viggo is giving me the evil eye at this point in time, so if it’s all the same to you sweetheart, shoo,” Dave’s eyes slid back to Sean’s gaze and gave him a meaningful look that spoke of Dave’s keenness not to get involved in a Viggo revenge moment. There was a light sigh. “ I’ll keep you posted, okay? With all the gory details. But only if you keep me informed about you lot. And don’t give me that innocent expression, Sean. I can’t keep pestering Orli for answers,”

“ Fine,” Sean nodded. Dave grinned at him again, and glanced up as Karl re-entered the room brandishing a bottle of liquid and a dark scowl. Sean thought this was probably a good point to shuffle back over towards Viggo, who at least needed him a little less beaten up than Karl was planning. Before he got two steps back Orlando had already pounced on him.

Some things never changed.

*

He had been thinking it over in his mind endlessly. No matter what Sean did the thought was plucking at him from the depths of his mind, teasing, suggesting, offering countless possibilities all centred on that one theme.

It was, quite frankly, beginning to drive Sean nuts.

Sean had a sneaking suspicion that the activities at Karl’s had managed to get his mind working, had encouraged it far too much and now he was stuck with it. He couldn’t even blame Dave for this, although embarrassingly enough he knew he had tried in some form or other. Dave with his little can of worms and his helpful insights. Dave with his wide eyes and innocent demeanour. Dave with his bloody endless information. Regardless of whether the man had actually affected Sean to this extent, he was going to get a smack simply for his general jammy bastardness.

Not that Dave was available for smacking anymore. Not with Karl posted as guard dog, his hazel eyes constantly watching anyone who came near his lover as though assessing their general suitability to be anywhere near his beloved. It was a mixture between cute and fucking scary, although Karl always was full of fun contradictions. Sean was beginning to realise exactly how paranoid Dave must have been previously, constantly wondering whether Viggo was going snap and stake out his territory by a well aimed punch or two, although Dave was clever enough to keep the fears hidden. Another tick in the box of Jammy Bastardness for the Australian.

Sean sighed through his teeth and watched the kettle boil. Despite the fun times that had been had that Saturday, Dave and Karl certainly managed to be the success story. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other whenever they were close; their social calls were often as short as a greeting and a goodbye. They appeared to be as happy as a couple of bunnies in spring, and Sean had a sneaking suspicion that if he was a fly on the wall in their relationship it might actually be the same behind closed doors. The honeymoon season was amongst them, and it was clearly obvious that neither man was going to let this slip by without some monumental action.

Viggo, on the other hand, continued to be a problem. Well, not so much a problem, as that suggested that he was something to be wiped out. More an issue. Not that anyone else in the world was able to tell the difference of course, but that was simply because Viggo was a master of ensuring that no one else knew something was wrong. Viggo was the type of man who could be beaten and tortured in a dungeon yet still make his rescuers believe that it was all just a misunderstanding.

Sean growled to himself and continued to watch his kettle as though he was expecting it to grow legs and scuttle off the table. It couldn’t go like this. Not this constant feeling that Viggo was trying to find some reason to ‘save’ him and therefore release him from the relationship. The constant feeling that all it took was a slight snap and suddenly their lives became hectic once again. Obviously what had happened that Saturday night hadn't been enough, and that was an uncomfortable thought indeed.

The knowledge that their relationship was still unstable kept poking at him with big sticks, expecting him to do something, but trying to get involved again was probably going to be about as sensible as poking a finger into lava to see if it was hot. Getting involved got him into trouble and made a lot of people miserable. Getting involved required a lot more tact and knowledge than he had access to. Getting involved, in fact, was off the cards.

*Should* have been off the cards, anyway.

And yet there was always that burning feeling in his mind that he should be doing it anyway. There was another growl that spoke of tigers and leopards, and Sean focused on the kettle which was bubbling away nicely, the kettle unaware that the person who surveyed it looked like he was happily about to rip its circuits apart one by one.

“ Sean?” There was a voice by the doorway. Sean sighed to himself again, and didn’t bother to glance over his shoulder. True enough, there was a little patter of bare feet and a hand presented itself to be felt on his shoulder. “ You okay, mate?”

“ Orlando, I’m making tea. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sean tried to sound matter of fact. He actually came out sounding grumpy as hell. Growling inwardly at him, Sean grabbed a mug from the cupboard and banged it on the kitchen worktop, trying not to look at Orli who was watching him in interest.

Chocolate brown eyes narrowed in thought.

“ Now, you don’t look like someone who’s just making tea,” the young man said slowly and thoughtfully. “ You look like the sort of person who desperately wants a cup of tea and has just found out that he’s run out of teabags and the local store hasn’t bothered to restock. And then, once he’s finally located the tea, he realises he’s run out of milk. That’s what you look like,”

“ Great,” Sean threw a tea bag in and seized hold of the kettle. “ Now, if you’ll excuse me-“

“ So what’s the matter?” Orlando stepped back slightly to allow Sean room but other than that was happily present. There was the briefest grinding of teeth.

“ The matter?” he echoed. “ There is nothing the matter, Orlando! Apart from the fact I’m being harassed with pointless questions. Can I get you something? Tea? Biscuits? A brutal whipping?”

Orlando grinned. “ God, you are a grumpy sod today!” He leant against the kitchen counter and watched him happily, uncaring of any whippings, brutal or not. Sean finished making his tea and glanced across at him.

“ Where’s Viggo?” he asked.

“ He’s in the bedroom, focusing.” Orlando shifted his weight. Sean’s glance suddenly developed a raised eyebrow.

“ Focusing?” he echoed slowly. “ On what?”

Orlando shrugged. “ Whatever comes, I suppose. He’s got his sketchbook out,”

“ Oh, right,” At least that made it a little clearer. Viggo took his inspiration very seriously indeed. Sean doubted whether they’d see him for the next few hours. Which meant, of course, there was plenty of time to talk, to consider and … to plot.

God, could he think about something *else*?!

Orlando was watching him carefully again. “ You’re not looking happy again,” he warned cheerfully. “ Come on, Sean. What’s the matter? The Blades lost another game again?”

“ First thing, the Blades never lose, they get robbed,” Sean replied patiently, his mind desperately trying to refocus his attention. “ And secondly, it’s not a *game*. But no, thanks for asking,”

“ Then what?” Orlando opened the biscuit jar and took out a cookie to munch. “ You’re bloody complicated when you want to be, Sean.”

” *Me* complicated?” Sean was too shocked to keep his mind on track. “ What about Viggo?”

Cookie paused en route to mouth. Orlando narrowed his eyes.

” What d’you mean, what about Viggo?” A few crumbs dropped off and plummeted to earth, but Orli didn’t seem too concerned about the destruction of his biscuit. Sean shook his head and refocused on his cup of tea.

“ Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Grabbing a spoon, Sean hurriedly busied his hands. However, he was fooling nobody. Orli was still giving him the look a greenfly would get from a gardener. Sighing, Sean put down the spoon. “ Okay. It’s just that … well, Dave and I were talking…,”

“ I see,”

“ What d’you mean, you see? Don’t give me that tone of voice, Orlando. I know damn well you’ve been spilling your guts to him on a regular basis!” Sean managed to keep his voice down, and after a few seconds even managed to calm himself down as well. “ Orli, I think we need to address some .. issues,”

“ Issues,” repeated Orlando slowly.

“ Yes,”

“ Concerning Viggo,”

“ Yes,”

“ Between ourselves,”

“ Is this going to go on much longer? Cause I’ve got a tea getting cold,” Sean was feeling the grumpiness return in full flow. He shook his head and put the mug carefully down on the kitchen side again, giving what he knew was an intensive look at Orlando. Too intensive to pretend this was anything other than a serious matter. This conversation went badly and they were looking at a whole heap of apology to dig himself out of it. “ Orlando, can I talk to you?”

There was still a doubtful look on Orli’s face, as though Sean had suggested that they go bungee jumping in nothing but a leather thong. Orlando ran a tongue over his bottom lip, then looked up at him with those large brown eyes, willing Sean to tell him a nice answer.

“ Is this the sort of friendly banter talk,” he asked carefully. “ Or more the sort of talk that we’d be flayed alive if it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to?”

Sean hesitated. Orli groaned. The biscuit was abandoned on the kitchen counter as Orlando found the need to fold his arms and give what was known in the business as a ‘stern look’ at the older man standing in front of him. Sean had a sudden feeling that he was going to get spanked on the rear and sent off to bed without supper.

“ Look,” he said hastily. “ It’s not as bad as all that,”

“ You’re not convincing me here,” replied Orli dryly, then sighed reluctantly. “ I’m dreading saying this, but I guess I’m going to have to. Go on,”

Encouraged slightly more, Sean worked out where to start. The plot poked its nose out of the burrow of his mind and scuttled around in it, like a ferret in a trouser leg. Awkward, and you never did know where it was going to stop.

“ I want to stop Viggo treating me like a victim,” he said finally, deciding to go to the crux of the matter without bothering to abuse the bush by beating around it. “ I want us to be stable as a relationship. I want to be able to cuddle up to you without worrying we’re going to get a glare aimed at us. I want Viggo to be happy and trust us a little more,”

Sean took a look at Orli’s expression. The younger man was still standing with his arms folded, but his expression was curious, waiting for Sean to continue. At least there was no sign of outrage, of denial. And thank the heavens for that. If Sean had had to convince both members that something needed to be done, he was sure he was going to feel he was the one who just wasn’t seeing it.

“ And I want this Ex-boyfriend of his to stop dictating how Viggo runs his life,” Sean concluded his current pitch. Orlando continued to watch him as though expecting Sean to break out in song and dance at any moment.

“ And you’re planning to do this list how, exactly?” Orli, when he finally spoke, just sounded doubtful. Sean sighed. That was the hundred thousand dollar question. And that was where the plot came in. That same plot that had managed to drive him insane with its twittering. That plot that Sean was never sure whether it was a good idea or not. Now to give it its test-drive.

“ When Dave and I were talking,” Sean said slowly and in such a low voice that Orlando had to move a little closer to hear him properly. “ I realised that .. well, the hold that this guy had over Viggo’s reactions was a lot more intense than I had thought,”

“ He was beaten and raped. It takes a while to get over,” Orli raised an eyebrow, but his tone was casual, simply commenting rather than accusing. Sean shrugged his acceptance of that statement and glanced towards the door as though expecting Viggo to be standing there, watching them. Thankfully he wasn’t. All praise for the art of focusing.

“ I know. And I also know he can’t possibly get over it if he’s happily reliving parts of it,” Sean looked back at Orli, scanning the younger man’s eyes. Orlando himself seemed confused, as though Sean had offered him a map to the Holy Grail with no ties attached. There was a flicker of anger in those chocolate velvet eyes.

” Are you suggesting that *I* make him relive it-“ he began in a trembling voice before Sean cut that little sentence dead before it started to fester and choke everyone in sight.

“ No. Of course not. I’m just offering you a suggestion that wouldn’t have been available to you when you were busy unscrewing his head the first time,” Sean looked at him, not bothering to keep any sort of control over his expression. There had been enough neutrality in their relationship already to redecorate a whole buildings worth of new modern flats. “ And it was you who did that, wasn’t it? You got involved and helped him,”

Orli’s expression had moved rapidly from anger to discomfort. Sean suspected that the younger man would have happily been shuffling his feet on the floor at this point. The younger man looked away and picked up his discarded biscuit once again, looking at it as though it had turned green in the few moments that it had been out of his grasp. The next few sentences were addressed to the cookie rather than the older man standing next to him.

“ I guess I did,” Obviously having lost his appetite, Orli started to pick crumbs off the biscuit, disintegrating it even further.

“ How bad was he before you turned up, Orlando?” Sean’s voice was gentle. There was silence from the younger man, who seemed to be transfixed by the biscuit he still held in his hands. The blonde moved forward and carefully placed a hand on Orli’s arm, feeling the younger man twitch in alarm before Orli stamped down on this fear, looking back up at Sean as though he had never met him before in his life.

Finally he sighed.

“ Bad,” he admitted. “ I don’t want to go into it, but he was real bad. Took me forever to get him to tell me, and then took me forever to get him to understand that a relationship wasn’t automatically a bad thing out to hurt him. He’s had more than a few bad times in his past. And this is why the gym is so good for him, Sean,” Orlando looked at him with wide eyes brimming with appeal. “ It doesn’t matter what he does, how hard he loses it. He knows I’ll always be there for him regardless. That I’d never hurt him,”

There was a soft faraway look in Orli’s eyes as though the younger man was reflecting on those points in their newfound relationship with Sean where Viggo had indeed been hurt, the younger man’s hand absent-mindedly rubbing his chin where Viggo had struck out at him previously. The odd, unfocused expression in Orli’s eyes was beginning to look permanent.

Finally the younger man sighed and dropped his hand away from his face, looking at Sean sadly.

” And what’s your idea?” he asked quietly. “ How is he going to make peace with your presence?”

Sean suddenly felt a growing longing to stare at his feet. Orli’s expression was a strange mix of fear and hope, and the feel of responsibility came crashing down on Sean’s shoulders as though a giant had suddenly decided to stand on him. He screwed this one up it was going to remain screwed up for some time.

“ A little of the opposite,” he said finally, returning the younger man’s gaze and feeling his voice become a little stronger. “ I want to be able to let him know that he can trust me. That he can open out to me and trust me not to hurt him. To him I’m the old Viggo, aren’t I? Naïve, trusting, hoping that when I turn my back on someone there’s not going to be a knife shoved in it like he had.” Sean paused a little longer. Orlando wasn’t even bothering to speak, just watching him silently. Sean pressed on.

” So I want to show him I’m not this victim he thinks I am. I’m not him. And to try and do that, I need to complete what Dave and I started on that Saturday,” Sean raised his eyes to Orli steadily. “ I need to take control in the games, if only just once. No guilt. No ulterior motives. Just us and the gym.”

Orli was still watching him, his expression now guarded. Sean had a sudden urge to grab hold of the younger man and shake him to get an answer out of him, even if it was rude and loud.

“ You have some control now,” Orli said quietly. “ It was fucking annoying at the start,”

Sean shook his head. “ I have some control over you, but that’s it. Viggo still controls everything that happens in that gym, Orlando. Okay, occasionally that slips, or I’m really bad at obeying orders or something, but that’s normally minor. I’ve never barked an order at Viggo.” Sean watched him carefully. “ I’ve never taken him without him believing it was a sacrifice he needed to make,” he said softly.

The sentence managed to have more reaction than the whole of the conversation. Orlando stared up at him, shocked, the biscuit finally snapping in his hand and crumbling to the floor. Orli seemed oblivious to the fate of his cookie and simply stared at Sean in horror.

” No,” he said, and his voice was already cracked. “ No, I can’t let you do that. Sean, you’d *kill* him,”

“ How? He can’t keep hiding away from this, Orli!” Sean shook his head decisively. “ He wants to let go, I can see it in him.”

There was a shaky laugh. “ That’s almost exactly what Viggo said about you before we cornered you in that trailer of yours,” Orlando commented, moving to face the kitchen counter again. Sean could see the tremble in the young man’s hands from his own position, and frowned.

“ Orlando,” he said softly. “ He believes he’s playing the role of the ex-boyfriend. Give me the ability to be able to snap him out of it. Allow me to break the loop, and then we can go back to the way we were,”

“ You don’t just go back to the way you were,” replied Orlando dully. “ It’s not possible. For fuck’s sake Sean, what the hell happens if you’re wrong? It would destroy us!”

“ And you don’t think we’d be destroyed if we ignore it?” Sean replied heatedly. “ This thing is eating him up, Orli. Sure, he might get better by himself. But how many years had gone by before you showed up? How much better had he got by himself then?”

There was a sulky pause. Orli stared back at him, his eyes full of mistrust and fear.

“ Sean,” he said softly. “ What if you’re wrong? Your track record isn’t the greatest in observation,”

“ Dave thinks-“

“ Oh, leave Dave out of this! Viggo was right. Dave’s smart enough but he was fighting against his own motivations the whole bloody time. And besides which,” Orlando looked back at him steadily. “ Dave wouldn’t have to put up with the consequences.”

Sean shook his head stubbornly. “ He told me what I needed to know,”

“ You sure? You sure it’s not what you wanted to hear instead? How many people out there pray that there’s some magical simple fix for the wrong things in their relationship? Just do one thing and poof! It’s all better again,” Orli sighed and looked sadly at the mess on the floor. “ Shit, I’ve ruined my biscuit,”

Sean put thoughts of biscuits behind him and simply looked at his young lover. Orlando looked at his steady gaze and sighed again almost pointedly before reaching for the biscuit tin once more for a sacrificial victim.

“ Besides which,” mumbled Orli. “ I’m not sure I could do it again. He’s going to be scared, Sean. I can’t… I don’t… fuck, I really don’t want to cope with that again. Knowing you can’t actively help him get over it. It’s a bastard and a half,”

Sean reached out and stroked Orli’s shoulder before gently taking hold of his chin and moving the younger man’s head to look at him.

“ I’ll be here to help,” he said softly. “ And we’ll get him through it together,”

Orlando looked at him for a while silently, as though there was an internal monologue occurring which was beginning to drift into a full scale debate.

“ That was almost cute,” he said with a slight smile, although his eyes still distant. “ I didn’t think you did cute,”

“ I do you practically every night,” protested Sean.

“ You know what I mean,” the smile grew a little more before dying again. Brown eyes refocused and studied Sean carefully. “ So what happens if the shit hits the fan? You going to bail on us?”

“ I’m not going to dignify that question with an answer,”

“ Try. Because I’m not promising anything until you do.” There was a steady determination. “ You’re asking me to conspire against my lover, Sean,”

“ And I’m not your lover?” Sean felt hurt, which obviously reflected in his eyes as the hard look around Orli’s eyes and mouth softened gently. “ I know what we’re facing. And whatever the consequences, I’ll be there.” He reviewed the words in his head. “ For fuck’s sake, you’ve got me talking like a corny love song,”

“ Yeah,” Orlando shook his head. “ Guess I have at that,”

There was a companionable pause. Orlando finally nibbled on his biscuit like a squirrel on a nut, his eyes returning to that unfocused position, as though he was dancing on the main path of the Land of Dreams. Sean tested the tea and found it lukewarm already, but at least it was there and forming something to do. The worse thing was when you were spouting corny love songs and didn’t have something to do with your hands. Quite often they drifted up to do dramatic gestures if you didn’t give things for them to do.

Finally the chocolate brown gaze moved back onto Sean thoughtfully.

“ You want to take control next session, yes?” he asked matter of factly. Sean nodded slowly. Orlando gave a nod in acknowledgement. “ And you need my support in this,”

“ I can’t do it without you,” Sean answered truthfully. Orli surveyed him again. Sean sighed. “ If he really wants out, we’ll do that safe word thing again. Give him some assurances,”

Orlando was silent for a few more moments before he started to nod again, slowly, gently, as though worried his head was going to fall off the more use it got. Eyes flickered to Sean again.

“ Okay,” he said, grim determination showing. “ I’m in,”

*

Thanks to both the fight at the bar and the Saturday night, the next gym session didn’t come for several days longer. Sean was glad in a way; he never liked the spontaneous thing, and at least this time he had the ability to research what on earth he was supposed to be doing. He had managed to borrow Dom’s PC for a few hours, simply surfing on the net and finding more and more disturbing websites than he ever knew possible. The majority of them seemed to be linked up to pop-up messages, which kept offering him a selection of pay by view porn sites or the occasional bank loan. Based on the rest of the pop ups, apparently Sean had won every competition going.

There was obviously more to this whole business than simply grabbing a whip and getting going. However, he seriously doubted whether he would ever manage to achieve the dedication of some of the people who were photographed in a variety of different situations on the web pages.

He had hoped to borrow Dave for a quick discussion, or, as Orlando put it, to confess his sins and to attempt to get further confirmation from the Reverend Wenham that what he was doing was ultimately the right thing. However, this had proved more difficult than he had ever realised, mostly due to Karl either taking up Dave’s time with endless ‘social discussions’ – or time to fuck as everyone else called it – or attempted to disembowel Sean with merely his hard glare. It was like approaching a mother wolverine with its young.

In the end Sean had had to make do with a quick drink down the pub between takes and with Dave still dressed as Faramir. Sean wasn’t sure whether to call him David or little brother, although after the first few cheerful sarcastic comments ‘wanker’ was also a distinct possibility.

” Hmmmph,” was Dave’s response to the idea. Sean’s heart sank.

” Hmmmph? What d’you mean, hmmmph? I thought this was supposed to be a good idea, and now you’re saying hmmmph at me?” Frustrated, Sean took another swig of beer. The Currently-Ranger watched him with a cautious expression, and shrugged.

“ Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it Sean. I’m just a little concerned that you’re going to .. well, take it too far. Viggo’s vulnerable,” Dave took in the look on Sean’s face and smiled to himself. “ Okay, he doesn’t look it that much, and by the way he was beating the shit out of some of those people at the Bar I doubt whether anyone there would consider it. But he is.”

“ Funny how that didn’t really get considered on Saturday,” Sean’s voice was beginning to get an edge. Dave sighed and shut his eyes briefly before opening them, light blue gaze resting on Sean almost regretfully.

“ You will never know how much those tight leather trousers of yours ruin my rational thought,” he said sadly, then smiled again. “ I’m afraid I was a little preoccupied at the time, Sean, but the rest of it was fine. As I said before, I’m not saying you *shouldn’t*. Just be careful,”

“ I wasn’t just going to jump on him and abuse him,” The edge was still there and it had managed to acquire a sulky friend. “ I’m going to be careful, Dave. He’s my lover and he’s my friend.”

“ And therefore you know what you’re suggesting is going to be disconcerting, if not downright scary for him,” Dave’s eyes met his steadily. “ He’s going to panic. Just be there when he does, and fight for him as much as you fight the suggestion of buying the next round,”

“ I buy the next round!” Sean was stung by the injustice. Dave smiled.

” Excellent. I’ll have another pint then,”

And that, pretty much, was that. Nothing he hadn’t heard before. Nothing that hadn’t worked its way round his head, mostly late at night and when the other two were fast asleep, leaving just Sean with the shadows and the darkness and the constant fear that his plans were going to blow up in their faces. Orli was normally curled up like a kitten, his hand on Viggo somewhere as though expecting the older man to sneak off when his guard was down. And Viggo himself, face innocent and relaxed in sleep, looking all the world like the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter.

This better work, thought Sean grimly to himself, or I am seriously going to need a shrink after this.

Heaven alone knew what sort of medical help Viggo would need.

Orlando had been a little rock during those days between the plan and the session itself. He had plenty of useful suggestions and plenty of motivational one-liners, as well as the occasional bitchy remark when Sean confessed that it was all getting a little too heavy. Sometimes it was more the bitchy comments that kept him going than the motivational ones, the retorts to get off his arse and do something echoing in his mind.

It had also been the young man to organise the props for the night. Not that Sean was going too elaborate on this one, partly because there was no need and mostly because he had no idea how half the stuff was supposed to be used. Swearing at a sex aid was unlikely to get anyone turned on, unless you were supposed to be desperately wriggling free of it. Unscheduled bruises and chaffing was also up there on the dodgy end of the scale.

However, those items that were suitable were arranged and organised. Sean knew where they were, knew how they were supposed to work, and even had a faint idea of when to introduce them. And yet he had a sneaking suspicion that he would be flying by the seat of his incredibly tight pants, that whatever he planned and he plotted and he thought through, *something* was going to crop up which would be entirely unexpected and without any type of pre-planning. Because that was what Viggo did to him on a regular basis, after all. Why change a habit of a lifetime?

On the night in question, Sean still had no idea whether Viggo realised something was up. He couldn’t possibly know what they were planning, however. There would have been no way he would still be sitting in that chair, reading the paper, a glass of beer sitting beside him idly fizzing away, not if he had managed to get even the faintest glimmer of what was being considered. At least their weirdness was actually for their benefit this time. Viggo expected them to be odd. Camouflage always came in odd ways.

Orlando had already got himself ready, cleaned and polished and all but quivering in his chair. Mind you, this was also nothing new. The younger man rarely had a power drain for his batteries whenever sex was involved, and was annoyingly up for anything, any time, and mostly anywhere. He was even more annoying for the fact that when that face turned to yours, laden in desire, you damn well wished your body was up for another round. Orlando would kill him within a year.

Sean glanced towards Orli, and tried to relax against Viggo’s sofa again. Unfortunately the movement was noted; paper lowered slightly for the older man to survey him thoughtfully.

“ You’re not still bothered by the whole sofa thing, are you?” he asked idly. Sean’s head snapped to focus on him a little more guiltily than he had wished.

” Not really. Only Karl’s, and that’s passing,” Sean shifted uncomfortably, not least because the whole sofa thing was a definite uncomfortable subject. It was fucking embarrassing for a start.

Viggo made a thoughtful noise, but his gaze didn’t drop down to the paper as Sean was hoping. Instead it stayed focused on Sean, causing the blonde’s heart to beat a little faster, a little harder. Finally, Viggo started to read his paper again. Sean bit back the sigh of relief and settled back against the sofa a lot more comfortably.

However, Orli was set to ruin the comfort. Kids these days had no patience whatsoever.

“ Viggo,” Orlando stood up and moved towards Viggo’s chair, kneeling down beside the arm and looking beseechingly towards him. The paper crinkled as it lowered again, a hand resting gently on Orli’s head, playing with his hair.

“ Hmmm?” Viggo was in a good mood tonight. Pity they were going to destroy it. Orli smiled with a breathtakingly sweet smile and looked longing at the older man with enough desire filling those chocolate brown eyes to drown several good sized villages.

“ Would you…?” Eyes grew hopeful. “ Could we…?” Orli’s hand crept towards Viggo’s thigh and started to rub it gently, his eyes never leaving Viggo’s face as though they were completely unaware of what the hand was doing. Sean suddenly realised that Viggo’s gaze had risen to study himself again, and allowed a slow and seductive smile in encouragement.

Knowing his luck, Viggo would have a headache.

Or possibly not. With a slight sigh, the paper was carefully balanced on the arm of the chair. Orli straightened a little more, watching Viggo with a devotion normally only seen at religious ceremonies and the occasional important football match. Sean watched Viggo give Orli a little smile, then his eyes flickered to Sean again.

“ Up,” he instructed. Sean was on his feet before he even realised he was moving. Orlando had already scrambled to his feet and was waiting like a dog expecting a walk. Viggo yawned slowly, deliberately, then looked back at Sean lazily as he stood. “ You want to lead the way?” he drawled.

Leading the way felt like he was walking his way to his execution, but Sean tried to put that to the back of his mind. Unfortunately, the back of his mind was currently quite full as it was, and other disturbing memories kept trying to crawl out when Sean was too busy focusing on other things. As the door closed silently behind them, Sean had to begin to control his breathing a little harder.

Viggo himself was as relaxed as Sean had ever seen him. He glanced towards Orli, and nodded an instruction. Orlando’s top was stripped off within a matter of moments, the younger man carefully laying it down on a chair before looking back at Viggo expectantly. There was another nod, this one of praise.

“ Now the rest,” Viggo had already moved away to the side of the room and was obviously looking for an item.

Sean felt Orli’s eyes slide to him in query. There was a slight shake of the head. Orlando looked a little white, then his eyes grew a strength and determination that Sean didn’t realise he had in him. Orlando Bloom, dragon slayer, coming in a bedroom near you…

It didn’t take long for Viggo to realise that instructions were not being obeyed. Eyes slowly moved up to assess Orli thoughtfully, the older man stilling his movements in his deep consideration.

“ I believe I gave you an order,” he said it politely and yet the underlying command was so strong that Orlando’s hands almost darted to his trousers automatically. Orli forced himself to stop, and looked down at his bare feet, socks not having been put on after the shower. Viggo frowned to himself and straightened further.

“ What’s this?” he asked softly towards Orli. “ Mutiny? *Move, Orlando*,”

Orli’s eyes darted to Sean once more, then went back onto his feet as though they were the most fascinating things on the planet. Viggo, of course, had noted the glance and was looking stonily at Sean. The sheer power of the glare made Sean’s determination falter and consider an extended lunch break instead.

“ You anything to do with this, Sean?” Viggo’s voice was still soft as a Persian cat and yet as dangerous as a pissed off tiger with a hangover. Sean straightened his back and lifted his chin a little higher, which gave him a little more confidence. Not a huge amount, mind you. Incredible though it sounded, Sean realised he had completely forgotten the true strength of the man he was looking to capture, how bloody intimidating he was simply by standing there and doing nothing. They were too evenly matched for Sean to simply take the offensive. Sneakiness was called for.

Sean looked away towards the door, deliberately breaking eye-contact and hoping that Viggo would take it as an act of submission. The blonde moved towards the bed, still keeping his eyes away from the older man, praying that Orli would back him up. Movement occurred in the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t properly focus without moving his head and that would have been a poor move indeed.

He managed not to jump as the hand rested on his shoulder, larger than Orli’s little paw. Fingers caressed his muscles with the hardness that suggested that pain could be easily substituted instead if the owner felt like it.

“ And where are you off to?” came Viggo’s low voice, and amazingly it was back to being half amused. Heaven alone knew what the other half comprised of, but at this stage Sean was happy to settle for 50:50.

Keep the trap shut. No words. Nothing. Keep quiet, and get him to react instead.

No matter how often he recited it in his head it didn’t do any good. The fingers tightened a little bit, as though making sure Sean was aware of their presence. The massage suddenly turned into a grasp. Sean shivered slightly but still kept his gaze on the bed, not willing to be drawn into that game. He was the predator, not the prey. Keep the little bunny thoughts out of the head.

Obviously his lack of response had tweaked certain people’s curiosity.

“ Sean, if you don’t look at me I will *make* you,” came Viggo’s drawl. “ And I promise you, that will be as complicated as it sounds. *Do it*,”

Sean refused. He could feel Viggo moving a little closer, his hand still on Sean’s shoulders, the man leaning a little more towards the bed. A little bead of sweat broke off and weaved its way down Sean’s back as the blonde focused his attention entirely on the man near him.

Closer…

Closer…

As a trap it wasn’t the greatest by any means. The bait was reasonable, but the whole thing relied upon predictability. And Viggo was damn well unpredictable in his predictability, which was possibly the reason why Sean’s strike didn’t have the immediate success as he was hoping for. However, the strike was good enough; Sean swung round, grabbing hold of Viggo and using the man’s shift in balance to thump both his and Viggo’s weight onto the bed. There was a grunt of surprise from Viggo as he landed on his side, Sean all but scrambling to put his weight on the older man, trying to pin him down.

And this was where it was beginning to go wrong. Viggo, much as Sean hated to admit it, was stronger. Sean currently held the advantage, but apparently this was something that the fates were happy to reconsider at a later date. Little by little, Sean felt his power slipping away from him, no matter how desperately he tried to cling onto it. There wasn’t anything he could do to aid himself, his muscles at their limit as it was. His weight just wasn’t going to win.

Damn, he knew he should have eaten those last few doughnuts…

Just at the point where he was beginning to think he was seriously going to have to work out a good explanation, the tide changed in his favour. Orlando.

Viggo seemed as startled as Sean was himself. However, within a moment Orli had darted in and managed to click one handcuff to Viggo’s left wrist, the other end attaching it to the bed frame swiftly. There wasn’t even time for a good incredulous stare. With one hand completely out of the running, Sean swiftly borrowed the advantage a little more, pinning Viggo’s upper body and shoving the man’s right hand back to the bed. The older man wasn’t taking this lightly, either. Struggling, forcing back against him, Viggo was the picture of quiet intensity, a fire burning in his eyes that was likely to be extinguished even if the Pacific Ocean was involved in the fire-fighting.

However, he couldn’t win against the combined efforts. With Sean holding him down, Viggo was unable to stop Orlando from darting in again, handcuffs at the ready, swiftly ensuring that the older man’s movements were suddenly very hampered indeed.

And then all they had to do was step back and survey their conquest.

Viggo had given up struggling after the last handcuff had been attached, although there had been a quick test to see how strong the items were by the sudden chink! in the room. Grey-blue eyes glared at Sean stonily, silently promising evil things to do to him once Viggo was released. The bead of sweat on Sean’s back suddenly found company.

There was a pause that seemed to last into the next century. Finally Viggo found his voice, which was low, clipped and precise.

“ Sean,” he said in warning. “ What the fuck d’you think you’re playing at? Let me go,”

“ No,” Sean’s own voice was regretful but strong enough. He was aware of Orlando moving again, the younger man pressing his back against one of the walls and looking towards Viggo with an expression that suggested the older man was on his death bed. Viggo growled softly, and tugged his right wrist again. The chink-chink filled the room once more, before the arm relaxed again against the bed.

“ I’m warning you, Sean. If you do not release me within the next ten seconds I promise that you won’t be able to leave your bed for the next week.” Viggo seemed utterly serious on his promise, his glare so solid at Sean to the extent that you could probably use it as shelving. “ Your back would be so bloody you’d be lucky if you managed to take off your top for a year,”

Sean shook his head. “ I can’t, Viggo,”

Viggo stared at him incredulously. “ Can’t? *Can’t*? Exactly how are you unable to do this?”

The blonde looked back at him silently for a moment. “ We need to talk,” he said finally.

The incredulous look suddenly intensified by an alarming degree.

“ I’m sorry,” Viggo said finally, sarcasm lacing every word he spoke. “ You do this because you wish to *talk* to me? Are you unable to grasp the concept of day to day conversation?”

“ This isn’t a day to day matter,” replied Sean. “ And I don’t think you’re in a position to complain,”

“ On the contrary. I believe I am in *exactly* the position for complaints to be necessary!” Viggo tugged on the handcuff again, this time violently, the cuff cutting into his skin briefly before his arm flagged onto the bed again. Viggo gave a growl of frustration and looked back up at Sean, his anger growing in size by every second that passed. “* LET ME GO*,”

“ No,” said Sean quietly.

“ If you do not,” growled Viggo softly. “ I will kill you for it,”

“ And if I do,” replied Sean just as softly. “ I will be killing all of us,”

Viggo studied him for a moment longer, then gave a snort of annoyance. “ Fine,” he snapped. “ Then what *must* you talk to me about? You talk like a man in a bad romance movie, Sean!”

Sean shrugged. “ Our situation,” he said simply. Viggo laughed to himself.

“ I’ll tell you your situation,” he replied grimly. “ You fastened to the bed on your stomach, your arse so red that you could see it from the moon, my fist up your-“

” I meant something different,” Sean was hasty to interrupt this little happy set of thoughts.

” I don’t care.” Viggo glared at him again. “ One last time, Sean. Let me go before I get extremely annoyed with you,” There wasn’t quite a tremor in his voice, but certainly Viggo didn’t sound as strong as he once was. Emotion flickered at the edges of his words, trying to get more than a foothold.

Sean was silent for a moment, then simply shook his head in answer. Viggo’s eyes darted towards the youngest member of the room, who was still leaning against the wall with a completely blank expression on his face as though he couldn’t decide which one to wear. Orlando’s eyes were flickering between Sean and Viggo, his mouth firmly shut.

The blonde was expecting Viggo to bark an order at Orli and wasn’t entirely sure what to do when it arrived. After all, Orli had been obeying Viggo’s orders much longer than Sean had, and even Sean found it hard to resist Viggo’s instructions when said in a particular voice. For Orli it would be almost second nature.

However, the order never came. Viggo finished studying the younger man before the blue-grey gaze slid back to Sean thoughtfully.

“ Well?” Clipped, abrupt. “ Get on with it,”

“ You would prefer some action instead?” Sean looked at him steadily. Viggo hesitated. He could see the man do it, could see the uncertainty flash through Viggo’s eyes before it was smothered by the usual hard glare. Could see the fear.

“ And what,” Viggo said slowly. “ Is that supposed to mean?”

Sean didn’t bother to answer him. He merely glanced at Orlando who was watching him with an expression that spoke of wary suspicion, the younger man’s desire to echo that very same question. Sean smiled gently at him.

” Orli,” he instructed. “ You want to do the honours for the start?”

By the look that flashed across Orli’s features, obviously not. There was more than one man in this room that was fearful of what was happening next, and to be honest Sean didn’t blame him in the slightest. However, the younger man did move, his back all but sliding off the wall, a look of determination on his face as though he was about to cross the Antarctic with nothing but a pullover and two packets of chocolate biscuits.

Viggo’s gaze moved to him, and now the mask was truly slipping. Sean watched as Viggo’s hands gripped hold of the handcuff chain that held him to the bed, his knuckles beginning to turn white. But he didn’t make a sound, not even when Orli reached him and placed a hand on Viggo’s chest. Orli smiled down lovingly at Viggo.

“ It’s okay,” he purred. “ I won’t hurt you,”

Sean frowned to himself. The whole point of this one was the control aspect. This thing was definitely developing fluffy edges, and that really shouldn’t be happening. But, bloody hell, was it tempting. The grip of terror in Viggo’s eyes lessened slightly as Orli moved his hand over the older man’s chest, touching the light fabric carefully as though worried he was going to damage it. Viggo shivered once as the hands quested into more ticklish areas, but this shiver was stamped down almost immediately.

The blonde took a step backwards, arms folded, feeling more like a James Bond villain than he had ever felt in his life, including the time when he had the background set of GoldenEye behind him. Orli was playing with Viggo as they had discussed and planned, his hands carefully touching the hard muscles underneath the t-shirt, flickering over hardened nipples, his soft voice murmuring pleasant noises at the older man. Viggo scowled up at him, but still didn’t give an order, allowing his eyes to glare the message harder than any words would have done.

Orlando hesitated for a brief moment at that look, before continuing to caress him, smoothing over his muscles, a look of casual neutrality across his features as though somewhere in his mind he was busy reciting what to wear for tomorrow. Not that this lasted for very long; at Viggo soft growl Orlando leant forward, his mouth finding Viggo’s like a missile to a target.

Sean wasn’t entirely sure what Viggo was going to do with this. He could ignore him. He could accept the attention. And then, of course, he could bite. People did strange things when they felt under pressure, even to people as cute as Orli. Thankfully, it seemed the second of the choices had been taken. Orli’s hand stroked Viggo’s chest as they kissed as though petting a small animal. It was almost as though they had completely forgotten Sean’s existence, which of course made it easier to go obtain some of the ‘toys’.

He would never quite forget the look on Viggo’s face as Orli broke off the kiss, smiling down at him, and the older man suddenly caught a glance at what Sean was currently holding. Energy suddenly drained away from the man’s expression before it returned with at least twice the force. Anger made another appearance.

” No,” snapped Viggo.

” You continue like this and we’re going to need a gag,” mused Sean. Viggo scowled at him harder than ever before which was more than a little impressive, his jaw harder than the average bodybuilder. Sean smiled at him gently. “ Can I take that as a vote of no confidence?” he asked sweetly.

“ You can take that as a vote of ‘You’re fucking dead when I get out of this’,” replied Viggo grimly. “ What the hell is all this about, Sean?”

Sean paused, idly slapping the riding crop into his open palm, a thoughtful look on his face as though he was seriously considering Viggo’s question. Of course he wasn’t planning to use the damn thing; he’d have to go a little further in the realms of bravery before a crop would land on the smooth skin of Viggo’s backside. However, that didn’t mean that Viggo had to know that.

“ Let’s just say I’ve come to an uncomfortable conclusion, and before you start making any further threats about revenge and sensitive parts of my anatomy, I’d like you to consider it.” Sean shrugged. Viggo stared at him with a look that wouldn’t look out of place on Medusa.

“ Well?” his voice was gritted.

“ Thought I should underline a few things. The main one being.. and this is the bit where you listen closely .. I’m not your victim, Vig,”

“ Give me a few hours and we’ll change that,” The growl was already promising all sorts of fun toys to be added to one of their sessions. Sean frowned at him, honestly surprised. He had expected a number of things, mostly along the ‘of course you’re not, you fucking idiot,’. Not a faint acknowledgement.

“ You *knew* you were treating me like a victim?”

“ You were on about it just before you informed Dave he didn’t matter. Or didn’t you remember that bit in your rush to smooth it all over?” There was a glint in Viggo’s eyes that Sean didn’t like in the slightest. Sean’s back straightened, apparently of its own accord.

“ So you don’t think it’s the case. You’re just not surprised,” he said dully.

“ I don’t treat you like a victim. For fuck’s sake, I’m not even sure what you mean! Am I supposed to tie you to some stake and leave you helpless for the nearest dragon who fancies a snack?”

“ You’re supposed to have a virgin for that,” piped up Orlando. Sean shot him a look, and returned his gaze to Viggo steadily.

“ You don’t? Well, let’s make it easier for you shall we?” Sean moved a little closer, his eyes narrowing, a hard tone already entering his voice. “ You had a bad time with this Daniel guy. We all know it. Still affecting you today, in fact. And you were a victim with him,” the blonde paused. “ And now you’re busy seeing me as that same victim, being persuaded into something that I can’t fully comprehend. In fact, you’re just a different shade of that load of bollocks that Mackenzie was spouting about!”

Viggo’s glare had hardened even further. Sean pressed on.

” And it isn’t the case, Viggo. You’re not Daniel and I want to be here. Just because you’re in charge doesn’t mean you’re abusing anyone,” It was becoming difficult to fully ignore that ice-blue glare. “ *I’m not what you were*. So stop with this stupid assumption that I’m going to get hurt. That I can’t cope. I love you, you daft bastard,”

“ And what happens if I don’t love you?” Viggo’s soft voice. “ Since when has love been a particularly good shield, Sean? Think of how many famous lovers have perished in its name. It sounds romantic. It isn’t.”

Sean hesitated and looked at Orlando. The younger man shook his head once. Viggo was lying, according to that. Well, at this point Sean was a little too far into the conversation to backtrack anyway.

“ If you didn’t love me, Viggo, you and Orli wouldn’t be here now,” Sean managed to keep his voice level. “ And as for the suggestion that we could have talked about this in normal circumstances, I point out the fact that actions speak louder than words. I want to demonstrate to you how much of a victim I’m not,”

“ Your logic is remarkable in its surrealism.” There was still enough ice in Viggo’s voice to supply a whole pub chain with ice-cubes. “ You doing this proves nothing. So you’ve picked up a few tips. Big deal. If I thought you were a victim, I’d be using this whole experience to show how damaged you actually are. I assume you know damaged children often take up the habits of their abusers when they reach adulthood?” Viggo moved his wrist to allow the handcuff to chink against the rail of the headboard, his eyes fixed on Sean.

“ Did you ever take control with Daniel, Viggo?” Sean asked just as coldly. “ Stand over him like I’m doing to you?”

“ What does that have to do with anything?” Viggo spat.

“ It just does,” growled Sean.

“ Is that just a way of saying you don’t know?” Viggo shook his head, a slight smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “ So I didn’t. Hoorah for me. Do I win the Top Prize yet?”

Sean found himself fighting against a severe case of irritation. This was not the time to lose it. Okay, it was fucking tempting, but now was definitely not the time. Deep breathing exercises, that was the key. Repeat the numbers from ten backwards in your mind.

“ So you’re not even going to admit the fact that you can’t see me without thinking of your past with Daniel?” Sean shot back. Viggo laughed.

” It’s always about you, isn’t it Sean? You’re the key. You’re the reason why so and so is happening. Well, I’ve got news for you. *You don’t matter*.” Viggo growled and looked away almost immediately. Sean felt a pain in his stomach as though he had been kicked. He opened his mouth to speak but Orlando had beaten him to it almost immediately, the younger man’s fury impressive to behold.

“ What the fuck are you talking about?!” there was a blaze in his chocolate brown eyes which could toast marshmallows. “ He matters as much to you as you do to him, so shut the fuck up!”

Both sets of eyes turned to him in stunned silence. Orli looked back at Viggo, then glanced at Sean. There was a frustrated noise that suggested that the younger man wanted to throw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

“ If *either* of you so much as mentioned the idea that the other one isn’t important to them I will personally come down hard on your arses and trust me that’s not in the nice sense in any form,” Orlando snapped. “ And I will probably leave the pair of you idiots. How tough do you two want to make this for yourselves anyway?”

“ Orlando..,” Sean began but he got no further. Orlando all but rounded on him, a finger aimed in his direction as though it was aimed and loaded.

“ Sean, do what you have to. But don’t draw this out any more than you have to. You love him. He loves you. Now let’s get to the position where we can actually *enjoy* this,”

There was a chink as Viggo attempted to struggle to a sitting position a little more. This cause the Wrath of Orli to come down on his shoulders instead.

“ As for you Vig, I’m fucking disappointed in you. Didn’t you remember anything I told you before we got together?” Orlando was hurt and angry, which was always a bad mix. “ One man is not an island. Stop fighting offers of help unless you want to end up a very lonely old man,”

Viggo simply stared back at him with a hooded expression. Sean was faintly reminded of a child who had been told off for reasons that the child thought were dodgy as hell. The grey-blue eyes flickered back at him thoughtfully.

“ I don’t think you’re me, Sean,” he said with a quiet intensity.

” Then why do you act as though you do!” Sean snapped. “ Where the hell has this assumption come from that I can’t decide whether I like this or not?”

“ Possibly your previous actions? You never trusted me, Sean.”

” *And you never trusted me*,” snapped back Sean. “ You treated me like a fucking whore, Viggo. First of all I thought you were afraid of me. I might be able to take you in a fight, like Orli said. And then I realised that you must have worked out that I wasn’t as much of a threat as you thought, but you still kept treating me like this whore you could pick up and loan out and do whatever the fuck you liked as long as you didn’t have to trust me. Like I was disposable.”

“ Crap!” Viggo’s voice raised in anger. “ You treated me like I was some sort of perverted monster half the time! And I hardly saw you protest with either Dave or Karl! In fact, you were more than happy to jump right in weren’t you?”

“ Under *your* instructions!” Sean was outraged, his hands already clenched into fists, his body trembling with the effort of remaining calm.

“ GUYS!” Orlando shook his head. “ I cannot believe the pair of you! For fuck’s sake, this isn’t helping anyone!”

Sean had a sudden childish urge to point out that Viggo was the one who started it, but managed to steer his energy into folding his arms and putting on the sulkiest expression known to mankind on his face. Viggo wasn’t much better in hiding his angry sulk, although he slumped back against the bed as though someone had cut his strings. Orlando looked at one severely then at the other. Finally he moved away from the bed and sat down on the low bench.

“ No, I’m not continuing,” he answered Sean’s look at him. “ Not until you two sort this out to the extent that I no longer wish to beat the crap out of both of you. I am *tired* of this endless bickering!”

“ That’s rich coming from the guy who dragged Karl into this situation in the first place,” answered Sean. Orli frowned at him.

“ That was a low shot, Sean,” he said softly. “ I’ve done things I’ve regretted. The only difference is I’m happy to admit my mistakes. Karl was a friend, and he still is. He cared about me, and that’s what friends do, remember? Or are you two too busy working out who’s in command to be able to see that?”

“ What the fuck d’you mean by that? *Viggo’s* in command!” Sean glared at him. Orlando laughed.

” Ah, yes. And it’s not as if you’re similar in any way at all, is it?” he replied dryly. Sean froze. Similarity Exactly what Dave said. And it was ridiculous. Viggo might have seen himself in Sean, but this was definitely a one way street. There was no way that Sean could have done half of the things that Viggo did. No way at all.

Ever.

Apart from the time…

Sean growled to himself and glared back at Viggo who was silent on the bed watching him with a guarded expression. He did not want to be in control. Shit, he had a hard enough time working out what *he* wanted to do, let alone control two other people’s lives. It was impossible.

“ No,” he said softly.

“ Whatever,” sighed Orli. “ This wasn’t what I signed up for, Sean,”

Viggo’s eyes slid back to Orlando in assessment. “ And exactly what did you sign up for, Orlando?” his voice was more than a little hard. The younger man shivered slightly, and turned his attention to the floor.

” I signed up for the whole concept of making this better. So you two weren’t at each others throats, so that I don’t worry if I stay out one night you two are going to have separated when I get back.” There was a snort of laughter. “ Fucking fool I was.”

There was another chink as Viggo tugged on the handcuff. “ Then let me out,” he said softly. “ This solves nothing,”

“ No,” Sean raised his head. “ Don’t, Orlando,”

“ Orli,” Viggo’s voice was persuasively low, his eyes bright on the younger man who still sat on the low bench, staring at his feet. “ Let me out,”

There was a long pause. Finally Orli sighed again, a long, reluctant sigh, and looked up. Sean straightened slightly as the younger man stood from his bench and walked forward towards Viggo, and indeed, the keys which were sitting on the beside table as they had done countless times before. The blonde fought down his panic and stepped towards him, eyes not hiding his anxiety.

“ Orlando,” he knew his voice sounded wretched. Orli paused, then continued towards the bed, Viggo watching him every step of the way. Sean felt weak as Viggo sent him a look of what could only have been triumph, the sort of look that the Duke of Wellington must have given at the fields of Waterloo. Orli reached the bed and stopped, looking down at him with a haunted expression.

“ Unlock the cuffs, Orli,” Viggo said softly.

Orlando continued to look at him for another few moments, deliberately keeping his gaze away from Sean. Finally he leant down and slowly kissed the older man, his hand smoothing through Viggo’s hair, a little smile on his lips as the younger man moved back up, wistful look in his eyes. Viggo raised an eyebrow.

“ The cuffs, Orlando,” he ordered. Sean watched helplessly as Orli turned towards the side table, his hand pausing over the keys. Finally Orlando looked up again and gave another smile at Viggo.

“ Perhaps Sean was right,” he said after a long pause. “ A gag *might* be best,”

The look on Viggo’s face could possibly be described as classic. Orlando looked back up at Sean and shrugged, his eyes showing his reluctant acceptance of the situation. Sean smiled at him, then looked back at Viggo who was making no pretence about his dark glare. Currently if Viggo was freed Sean had a sneaking suspicion he was likely to be gutted within a moment. With a spoon. The bluntest one possible.

Sean decided to ignore this for as much as possible, and simply work on the basis that somewhere, somehow, a happy ending would appear.

The look of suspicion on Viggo's face was no longer masked by any type of neutrality as Sean moved closer towards the bed. There was the briefest of struggles as the handcuffs were tested yet again, the noise of the metal shifting against the headboard loud and grating in the room, before Viggo finally allowed himself to drop down again with a look that clearly said that borders were being tested. Sean kept an expression that was almost bored on his face, his eyes flickering to Orlando then back again. He took a step towards Viggo and paused yet again as the man shrank back against the bed, looking as though he was happily considering aiming his foot into Sean's midriff.

Honestly. And Viggo complained *Sean* was disobedient.

" You are so fucking dead when I get out of this," Viggo growled.

" Great. Something to look forward to then," replied Sean casually, ensuring that he didn't look as rattled as he felt. Threats were all very well, but when they seemed endless it was a little more complicated than it should have been. He carefully touched Viggo's foot, almost expecting a strike; however, there was only a tremble at the touch and then Viggo was still once more, a burning glare aiming at the younger man. Sean shrugged to himself. " Viggo, I know you're not happy. But trust me on this. Orli trusts me,"

" Orlando's young. I'm older and much more cynical," Viggo looked as though he was happily considering every single evil thing to do to Sean in the depths of his mind.

" He's not a child, Vig, and he knew your head better than you did yourself," replied Sean sharply. " Give him some credit,"

He was aware of a surprised look from Orlando at this. Obviously his opinions were often put on the back burner more than once. Sean gave him a brief smile back, then returned his gaze to Viggo's stony glare. Still not happy. Still looked like his main aim in life was to ensure that the rest of Sean's life would be one of agony and pain, mixed in with a bit of humiliation on the side. Sean's imagination really should just piss off now.

" What? Are you scared?" Sean teased him, his green eyes dark and watchful. Viggo growled something unintelligible but unmistakably rude. Sean smirked to himself, and ran his hand up Viggo's leg. The older man trembled again, his eyes shutting briefly as Sean's hand reached the soft skin of Viggo's inner thigh. However, the shield was soon back up again. Sean's hand tightened its grip as Viggo attempted to buck him off. Finally Viggo lay back down, panting softly, his eyes screaming blue murder on anyone who dared to be close when he was finally let loose.

" I'll take that as a yes, Vig," mused the blonde, deliberately trying to push it. After all, you didn't get this far by being nice and offering tea and biscuits. However, seeing their leader bound and trembling, cursing threats and bad wishes, it kinda ruined your morale on occasion. Sean's fingers drifted up Viggo's leg, deliberating bypassing Viggo's still clothed groin before making little circling patterns on his stomach. Viggo shivered again and growled softly.

" Sean, let me go,"

" Still no," Sean met his gaze calmly before moving away from the bedside. " But I admire your persistence. Orli! You okay to strip our target?"

If Sean had thought evil looks had already been mastered, he was sorely mistaken. Viggo's eyes opened fully to stare at Orlando with such intensity it was solid. Sean paused, uncertain of whether this would be the one thing that stopped the younger man. However, it wasn't a plea. It was a threat. Apparently Orlando could put up with threats based on his actions, the fact that slim tanned hands slid onto Viggo's belt and unbuckled it slowly. In fact, Orli was doing everything slowly, as though he was being paid by the hour. Sneaky.

Viggo tensed a little further at the production of the shears once the belt had been loosened, as though untrusting that anyone bar him was able to slice through still worn material without turning it into an episode of ER. However, Orli managed this remarkably well, a little frown of concentration on his face, his lip bitten slightly as he focused on the task in hand. Not a mark was to be seen on Viggo’s body as a result of the shears. The t-shirt, however, had definitely gone up to the great t-shirt heaven in the sky.

Once the top had been reduced to poor cleaning rags, Orli turned his attention south. Sean was sure he saw more than a little relief in Viggo’s eyes as the younger man put down the shears in order to yank off the trousers manually. Certainly, Viggo’s desire to fight this bit had obviously disappeared off on holiday somewhere, making it a lot easier on everyone.

As soon as the trousers were completely stripped from Viggo's body, Sean moved a little closer, his eyes running over Viggo's in appreciation before coming to rest on the icy-blue stare. Inside his stomach wasn't feeling quite as happy. Now to see whether he was able to go through with this; should he fail, he was looking at an even more damaged Viggo and a lifetime's supply of sexual beatings for both himself and his Glamorous Assistant Orlando. And apparently his stomach had put its own vote of non-confidence. Traitor.

Sean's hand came back out for a visit on Viggo's skin. If he had thought the man was trembling before, it was nothing compared to the trembles that now flowed under the surface, and Sean had a quick regret that he hadn’t put down the riding crop which was still clenched in his other hand. Viggo was almost constantly moving, as though he was actually sat on some sort of massage vibrator. Obviously his body hadn't managed to affect the stare, which remained as solid and as threatening as the moment it started. It had also been busy giving mixed messages to Viggo's groin. Okay, so they weren't talking incredibly hard erection here. But it was semi happy to see Sean, which was better than nothing.

" You seem uncomfortable," Sean commented idly, his eyes moving from cock to Viggo's eyes.

" Fuck you," came the reply through gritted teeth.

" Maybe later," the blonde shrugged. " For now, let's start off with you. After all, you're getting on a bit. Can't keep tiring you out, eh?"

The trembles intensified briefly, before dying again. Viggo's teeth were obviously being ground together. Sean smiled to himself, and glanced at Orlando again who was still lingering at the side of the bed, his hands gently touching Viggo as though checking he was still on the bed. Orli looked at him with an almost guarded expression, waiting.

" Make him more comfortable, eh?" he shrugged. Orlando paused, possibly converting the vague order into something he could work with, and nodded. His hands slid over Viggo's chest to start playing with his nipples, circling around them, flickering fingers across them. Orli was a nipple guy, that was for certain. Sean had never really seen the attraction himself, mostly because he normally got frustrated with the mainstream foreplay as it was without messing around with the borderline stuff. And besides which, he admitted to himself in the privacy of his own mind, he always felt he was doing it wrong. He hadn't bothered since one of his wives commented that it was like he was trying to retune a radio.

Mind you, even Orli's happiness with nipples managed to wear off quickly. Within a few moments, Orli had curled up between Viggo's legs, his fingers darting gently over the older man's arousal. And that was what it was definitely being called; semi erect had decided to get off the fence and decide that nerves were indeed being skilfully played. Viggo's eyes were closing at the first touch of Orli's mouth on him, the younger man's tongue tracing pretty patterns over his flesh before flickering over the head of his cock. A groan slipped past Viggo's lips as Orlando took him into his mouth, his back slightly arching against the bed, his eyes even tighter shut as though he was desperately trying to fight against it.

Sean smiled to himself and moved to the box of tricks that he had discussed at length with Orlando. Placing the riding crop back into the bag, his hand drifted over the handle of it once again, a symbol of Viggo's power now sitting quietly and waiting for a new master to come forth and claim it. The used leather felt comfortable and correct in his hand for the first time since they had gotten together, quietly promising control and persuasion to all but the most hardened of types. Promising punishment to those who had been more than a little annoying.

God, the damn thing was turning into the one ring. All it took now was for some golden burning eye to focus on him and he was there.

Another helpless groan sounded from the bed, making Sean glance in their direction. Orli was excelling himself. Obviously working as hard as possible, the younger man was skilfully tormenting Viggo with his tongue, occasionally taking the man's length as deep as he dared - and apparently he was a daring young soul indeed - before breaking off entirely and running his tongue over balls and as far between Viggo's legs as he could make it. The fact that Viggo was trying to spread his legs even wider at this stage had not escaped Sean's attention. Oh, they had him. He might hate them briefly, but they had him.

Sean glanced back at the items. Orlando had thoughtfully supplied a paddle in the box, having given Sean assurances that it would merely sting as opposed to anything else more elaborate. The blonde's fingers left the riding crop and trailed over the handle of the paddle, considering. After all, they were supposed to be taking this as far as they could, making sure Viggo had to trust them. You needed to go further. After all, it wasn't as though they were ever going to be able to do this again. Hell, Sean doubted he was going to be able to walk again once Viggo got hold of him.

The paddle was seized and taken out the box carefully, as though to tip it would cause some huge bomb to explode. Sean raised his head to watch Orlando and Viggo again, feeling himself respond to the scene in front of him. God, he wanted to take him. *Either* of them for that matter. But you couldn't go straight to the main course, could you? It didn't matter how much you ached to touch them, how much your mind focused on the feel of sliding into that tight heat, how much-

Sean shook himself mentally. Fucking hell, *focus*. Now was not the time to go into impatient sexual bastard mode.

" Orli," he managed an order, and it even sounded a little level. Hoorah for fast thinking. The younger man glanced behind him cautiously, dark chocolate eyes moving down to take on board the paddle that was being gripped in Sean's palm like a lifeline. There was a nod and a shuffle, the younger man moving back to allow Sean to move through.

Viggo's eyes had opened at the sudden lack of Orlando, an impatient growl coming from his throat. And then he froze again at the sight of Sean approaching the bed, his eyes firm and resolute.

" Sean...," Viggo had to lick his lips before speaking, and that was one of the few things that broke through Sean's determination. Sean shook his head.

" You knew what I was planning, Vig," he said softly. " But I'll do a deal with you. The safe word is "swordfish"."

Viggo was silent, simply looking at him with a cautious expression that suggested that the man wasn't certain whether Sean was being serious or not. Sean found he was holding his breath, almost waiting for the point where Viggo made use of the safety word now, knowing at that point it was either to let him go or continue without the safety net of knowing exactly when Viggo had had enough. After all, his own judgement was slightly faulty as it was.

However, the safety word failed to make an appearance, as elusive as a tasteful costume in a pantomime. On the other hand, its presence in the game didn't seem to be aiding Viggo's temper. The cautious look had been replaced by one that was almost approaching outrage, icy-blue eyes flickering to the paddle again. Incredibly, a smirk appeared at the corner of the older man's mouth although Sean was quick to note that the humour failed to reach the man's eyes.

" Couldn't cope with anything more elaborate, Bean?" Viggo was doing a good job on the sarcastic voice. Sean smiled grimly, and moved the paddle. There was a satisfying swish of air.

" What can I say. I'm a minimalist." Sean glanced to Orlando. " Roll him over."

The smirk froze entirely. Now it was only the hardened look of the tiger in a cage, pacing, waiting for the moment to spring and devour its captors. Sean was briefly reminded of Karl's expression when he was persuaded into this, the intensive look that suggested that it was a fine line between the man's control against his destructive force. Sean was almost certain Viggo was going to comment that Sean wouldn't dare.

Viggo didn't. Perhaps he already had come to the correct conclusion.

Not that Orlando could actually roll the bastard over, mind you. There was a snarl aimed at him like the dripping fangs of the monster from the Alien movies, a dangerous threat without much in the way of movement. Just letting the victim know that they were in their sights and next for destruction. Sean felt a shiver down his back and stepped forward, Orli looking up at him with an appeal for assistance silent in his eyes. Right. Time to get his hands dirty as well as his mind.

He should have known the kick was coming, but was just a little too late to fully appreciate it before it booted out at him. Sean managed to get out of the way ungracefully, annoyance finally competing with the caution for the number one emotion slot. And that, funnily enough, was a good thing. Where as before he was considering revising his moves, now all he could think about was the satisfaction of taking power over Viggo, causing his skin to redden. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, a soft growl from his lips.

" Not a wise move," he said softly and dangerously. Viggo simply glared back his intention to dispute this little comment. The blonde moved forward again swiftly, attempting to use his body weight to his advantage. After a few moments, he had managed to win. However, the feet had not been idle; the heel of Viggo's left foot had smacked its way hard on Sean's chest in a manner that suggested bruising was only a few moments away. Bastard. Utter, utter, bastard. Did people not know when they were conquered anymore?

The fact that Viggo's hands were tied made the conclusion of all this scuffling pretty clear before the fight had even begun. There was no way Viggo could stop it, although obviously he was more than happy to give a damn good try about it. Sean was panting by the end, his chest throbbing pain, his hands rough and hard on Viggo's body. Somewhere in the scuffle Sean's nails had been introduced to Viggo's skin, and a few red scratches showed up against the smooth skin of Viggo's back.

" Fucking bastard," panted Sean. " Can't go quietly, can you?"

Viggo merely contented himself with a low growl. Sean bent over the man's back, feeling the warmth of his skin against his own still fully clothed body.

" You fight, the punishment goes up," he murmured in Viggo's ear. " And trust me,
*I will do it*."

" Trying to be a hard man, Sean? Doesn't suit you," panted back Viggo. " A whimpering fool of a coward, that's all you ever were-"

Sean had no idea which part of his mind told his hand to swing hard and connect to Viggo's hip, just as he had no idea what part of his mind told that hand to be more like a closed fist than an open palmed paddle when it struck. However, obviously something was there controlling from the wings, and fucking hell did it feel good, even if there was a definite part of his mind which was busy being horrified. *You punched him. You actually punched him*. The thought was not the less horrific for its repetitive nature, but for some reason the nasty part of his mind was still in charge. Whimpering fool, eh? Anger beats horror, apparently.

Certainly, if the punch/slap caused Viggo any difference in opinion he was very good at hiding it. Viggo was still the man he was two second ago, although possibly a little crosser. And Sean could cope with cross. Just meant he was alive.

A movement to his side caused him to glance up. Orlando was already there, looking eager and full of handy helpful hints. He also seemed completely unaffected by the fact that Sean’s fist had connected to Viggo’s hip, as though this was all just part of the programme. No fucking wonder the young man had been more than a little cautious at the start. Sean would put on a bet that Dave had a similar assumption about how this little control session would end up.

Orli brushed against him, his mouth a mere centimetre from Sean’s ear.

“ I can prepare him for you,” he murmured. “ Just say the word,”

Well, that didn’t take much in the way of persuasion. There was no question that Orlando was being pressured into this; the younger man sounded as though he was a small child trying desperately to keep his keenness and excitement under control. Sean gazed at him a moment longer before smiling lazily and giving him a nod.

“ He might fight a bit,” he warned, giving Viggo another light slap for effect. There was an annoyed growl from the man on the bed, but there was no immediate push away as Sean lifted from his body. Orli traced a finger down Viggo’s back and looked at Sean happily.

“ I think we can get along,” he advised.

Sean satisfied himself with another curt nod, and watched fascinated as Orlando moved to straddle Viggo’s thighs, his fingers trailing down the older man’s back. Despite the initial shuffle away, apparently Viggo wasn’t intending to hurt Orli which at least soothed Sean’s nerves a little. People in full blown panics do not really notice who they hurt in their rush to escape whatever nasty danger was focused on them.

Sean recovered the paddle from where it had fallen onto the floor and bent back up to be able to properly view Orli’s talents. The younger man was taking his time, his hands on Viggo’s skin being the main supplier of sensation at this point, his tongue occasionally making an appearance to lick down Viggo’s back or occasionally suck on a random spot of Viggo’s anatomy. Every so often Sean could see Viggo’s shiver, hear a soft growl which could have been anything.

Viggo’s jump upright at Orli’s tongue touching his entrance probably would have caused most other men to develop back problems. There was a strangled gasp and the handcuffs jangled against the bedposts, Orli moving back slightly to ride out this new rodeo version of Viggo. Finally, Viggo’s movements stilled again.

Orlando moved back in for action cautiously. This time the feel of the tongue on him produced more of a lion growl, but didn’t immediately produce the bucking bronco. Sean felt a little smug and a little guilty. Obviously Viggo trusted them a little more than he had believed, otherwise the man would have been screaming blue murder at this point and trying to break as much of their bodies as possible.

Orli was obviously getting back into his stride; it wasn’t long before there were the faintest of moans interspaced with the growls, Viggo’s forehead lowered to the bed as the older man desperately came to terms with the fact that Orlando’s tongue was busy flickering over his most sensitive areas. Sean could see the trembling from where he stood, could see how heavily Viggo was panting. As Orli hummed against him, Viggo jerked again, his hands clenching back into fists as though he was expecting to be able to break out of the cuffs by sheer power alone.

Sean stepped a little further forward. Orlando paused at the moment, then glanced up at him in question. Viggo shot him a look over his shoulder, desperation and anger still the most prominent elements in those eyes. There was an unspoken challenge, a snarl in the air.

“ You going to be a good boy for me or is this going to get messy?” asked Sean idly, his hand sliding over the paddle handle. Orli shifted off Viggo’s thighs to allow Sean to trace the paddle over hard muscle. Viggo tensed even more at the hard object against him.

“ You fucking bastard, Sean,” came the low growl.

“ Is that a yes or a no?”

“ When I get out of this I’m going to ram that paddle so far up your ass you’re going to need forceps to get it out again,” Viggo’s growl, at least, didn’t seem to have a huge amount of fear attached to it. Sean stretched slightly, a deliberately bored expression kept on his face.

“ Still not getting a yes or a no here, Vig,” he gave a playful swat with the paddle, connecting to Viggo’s right buttock with a noisy but unpainful slap.

“ What do *you* think,” snapped Viggo bitterly.

“ I’d like to think you’d just accept the fact you’re not in control and just enjoy yourself, but then again I was always an optimist.” The paddle moved over smooth skin, Viggo’s breathing hitching at the feel. Sean smiled to himself. “ But then there’s a part of me that believes you actually want this anyway. The feel of the wood on your skin.”

“ Fuck you, Sean,” Viggo almost panted it.

“ I’m sure we’ve covered this before. It’s your turn, Vig.” Sean was about to say something else when the older man suddenly sprung back into life, the blonde having to move backwards to avoid injury. Sean smirked to himself, and shook his head playfully at the glare that was being aimed at him over Viggo’s shoulder.

“ Just try it, Viggo,” Sean smiled at him slightly, a predatory smile on his face. “ You know, I think I quite like you when you’re struggling,”

And before he had even closed his mouth to finish the sentence he knew he had blown it. Orli turned to look at him with horror clearly visible in his features. Viggo’s eyes widened incredibly, fear and surprise mingling before nerves took over entirely, his leg almost automatically kicking out at the blonde man on the bed in an effort to escape. Still reeling with the sudden knowledge that he had accidentally uttered the words that must have been uttered by the Shadowy Figure, Sean dodged a little too late.

The blood that started to trickle from his now split lip almost felt like a relief. Sean sucked at the wound for a bit, before just leaving it to sort itself out. Two large, fat drops of blood lazily made the transaction between his chin and the clean bed sheets, slowly spreading out in their stain. Sean looked at them as though transfixed for a moment, then looked up at Viggo.

The older man was like a caged animal that knew it was facing its slaughter, anger yet resignation clear in his eyes. Viggo was still struggling slightly, as though to stay still was to speed up the process, his eyes never leaving Sean.

The urge to soothe him was incredible. Just to put out a hand and just stop the trembling, try and fight it for him. But then the power would be lost, the control, everything that they had put him through would be wasted, just because Sean got all master villain in his mood and started plucking the lost strings of the memory.

His hand trembled with the effort of holding back. And then Sean simply released it. Sod the power. Viggo needed him.

” Viggo. Please. It’s okay,” green eyes scanned grey-blue ones anxiously. Viggo stared back at him as though not entirely recognising him, still shifting on the bed, his breathing fast and irregular. Sean touched the older man’s right calf, almost jerking back as Viggo immediately shifted away from him.

Sean tried again desperately.

“ Viggo. It’s Sean. *Sean*. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want. You know that,” God, he hoped he knew that.

Nothing from Viggo. Just that heartbreaking silence, the tenseness in the muscles, Viggo staring back at him as though Sean was the devil himself bearing brochures for Hell.

“ Viggo, I’m here. It’s Sean, Viggo,” Orli was already on the bed beside him, curling up like a cat against Viggo’s body, the organic bandage trying to shield Viggo from the world. “ It’s okay,”

“ No,” Sean raised his head as Orlando reached for the keys to the handcuffs which were on the bedside table. Orli froze, his eyes incredulous on Sean.

” We can’t keep him locked up when he’s like this-“ he hissed.

“ He’s going to remain like this unless we sort this now, Orlando.” Sean replied in the lowest voice he possessed. “ Don’t let him hide away,”

Orlando scowled at him angrily. “ Sean, *drop it*. Fuck, I knew this was going to happen, I just knew it and yet I let you persuade me that we might be able to sort this out and then-“

” Orlando. Shut up,”

The words were weak. The words were faint, and slightly shaky. But they did originate from Viggo, and by this itself made them extra special. Sean felt his heart decide to restart, the sheer relief that whatever they were going to do now, Viggo was not going to spend the rest of his days in some sort of recluse part of his mind. Orli obediently shut up, snuggling even further against Viggo.

Sean saw the grey-blue stare focus on him.

“ Vig?”

“ You were expecting perhaps Tom Cruise?” came the soft growl. Viggo was still tense, caution in every line of his body, and yet still the anger shone though. Sean had never been so happy to see something in his life.

“ God, Vig, I-“

“ You going to do anything or are you just going to stand there and talk at me?”

Sean paused for his mind to catch up to current events. Viggo was scared. Sean knew he was scared, Orli knew he was scared, and Viggo *must* know he was scared and yet there was a man handcuffed to the bed wearing an expression that could have been found on any cowboy when they were defending their home town. And that man was telling him to do the things that caused him to be terrified in the first place.

Bloody hell, Sean had a headache.

“ Now you *want* me to-“ Sean asked incredulously.

“ Was there any part of this scheme that you were expecting my opinion to be of any relevance whatsoever?” asked Viggo softly. Sean paused. Okay, opinions were normally something submissive tended not to offer. But for fuck’s sake, it was *Viggo* here.

Sean felt his advantage slipping away from him yet again. He straightened, and fixed Viggo with the more serious and dangerous look he possessed. It must have been quite impressive as Orli was now looking at him with a cautious expression, as though wondering whether to jump off the bed before the fireworks really started.

“ Okay,” Sean replied finally. “ Let’s do this,”

After all, it had only taken them half an hour to work this one out. The rest of the evening was going to be easy.

Wasn’t it…?

TBC