Smack the Dog

Smack the Dog Chapter 40 Act IV: Possession
Author: Foofy
Summary: Orlando’s peacekeeper skills are put to the test as the other two men confront the night ahead. **final chapter**


*

It was two hours to go before Sean would classify the evening as ‘the evening’ and already his imagination had taken him to places he hadn’t known had even existed. This was the evil twin of Disney World, the paranoia plucking his fears like guitar strings in its search for a tune, the uncertainty so solid that you could use it for building foundations.

His nerves wouldn’t allow him to either sit or stand still, Sean finding himself pacing like a tiger in a too small cage. Would Viggo do it? Would he mark Sean as his, or would he simply return to sender? Orlando had been hovering in the house, spending ten minutes with Sean, ten minutes with Viggo like a child desperately trying to get their parents to kiss and make up. If Viggo really did want to read his book he would have been infuriated at this point.

On the other hand Orlando had disappeared out of the room for a good fifteen minutes now, and with no sign of his return either. Sean sighed to himself and paced towards the window, looking out unseeingly, the music from Orlando’s CD blaring in the background.

“ No pictures left in the hall,” The lyrics continued sorrowfully behind him, but Sean was barely listening, his arms folded, green eyes staring out at the landscape in front of him, body tenser than when he was waiting for news of his newborn daughters.

“ There’s three new holes in my wall.
Where’s the hell my credit cards?
Why’s my wallet in the yard?
And still I don’t understand,”

Orlando’s entrance back into the room occurred behind him but Sean didn’t bother to look around at him. After all, if he looked round for each time Orli had suddenly just appeared behind him Sean was probably looking at a serious whiplash injury. Orlando did so much messing around behind Sean’s back that the blonde was sure the kid had won awards for it.

“ Well now I guess I should have listened,” the song was the only real noise left in the room. Not a car passed the house, not a bird sang, not a Bloom spoke. “ When you said you had enough. A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other, why must love be so tough?”

The CD was suddenly switched off. Sean hadn’t entirely appreciated exactly the desert of silence it had been covering until it threatened to drown him. The silence was heavier than lead, thicker than the thickest of pea-soups, and all his.

Marvellous.

” You’ve been pacing for the past hour,” commented Orlando. “ This some new keep fit regime?”

“ Would you believe me if I said it was?” queried Sean idly. There was a snort of laughter behind him.

“ No,” there was a pause as Orlando took the CD out of the machine and put it back into a case. “ Sorry, I should have put on some more cheerful music really,”

” Orli,” Sean said patiently. “ At this point in time not even a Disney soundtrack could possibly improve my mood.”

There was another long pause behind him. Sean refused to turn around, refused point blank to do so. Turning round suggested so many things that he really didn’t want to comprehend, talk about, hell, even consider in his own mind. The showdown was tonight. Rehearsals really weren’t necessary.

“ Sean,” Orli’s voice was slow and precise, as though the younger man was choosing his words extremely carefully. “ This isn’t some sort of execution. You know this, right?”

The blonde didn’t bother to answer. The window was studied even further, arms tightened against his chest, green eyes fixed unblinking as though he was some type of gargoyle rather than the living breathing man he actually was. He would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for a pesky kid
and two fingers jabbing into his kidneys.

“ Ow!” Sean swung around, happy for his emotion to have an outlet at last, even if it was set to Phaser Kill. Orlando stared back at him unconcerned, putting his poking hand back into his pockets and all but rocking on his heels as he looked back at the man with a critical expression.

“ You’re thinking again, aren’t you?” he commented. “ Not sure it suits you,”

“ Yeah, well,” Sean growled. “ It’s nice for a change.”

“ Bollocks,” replied Orlando firmly. “ You’re just working yourself up into a little ball of anxiety. This isn’t some sort of .. *initiation*, Sean. You can’t fail. You don’t get cast out into the fiery blazes of hell for screwing up your lines. You’re going to laugh about this, but all of this was supposed to be *fun*. You remember fun? Things done for entertainment purposes? Activities that bring enjoyment into one’s life? Stop sweating the small stuff and *relax*,”

Sean stared back at him with grumpiness in his eyes and a stiffness in his back that could have been set in plaster. Orlando studied green eyes with the interest of a scientist looking at his chosen field of speciality and sighed slowly.

“ You poor devil,” he said sadly.

“ You’ve changed your tune,” Sean wanted nothing so much more than to turn around and look at his window but he had a sneaking suspicion his kidneys would be reintroduced to Mr Poky Finger if he did. “ Thought you were nervous,”

“ *Nervous*,” repeated Orli. “ Not petrified. Honestly Sean, we couldn’t get you much more scared unless we decided to fuck on board a small plane flying through the mountains! Viggo’s not a monster and you damn well know that,”

“ You sure? You said yourself that he’d changed,” Sean wasn’t entirely sure why he was determined to be so stubborn, but it was now such a part of his shield that his whole armour would disintegrate around him should he remove it. Orlando sighed in a manner that suggested insults were only just being held back.

“ Not *that* much. There’s change and then there’s schizophrenia. It’ll be okay, Sean” Orli took a step forward, voice soft, his eyes scanning Sean’s before a hand rested lightly on Sean’s shoulder. The blonde resisted the urge to just step forward and bury his head against Orli, feeling the need to be comforted so badly that it was trying to choke him. He felt the warning prickling of tears in his eyes and blinked them back so hard that it hurt. Orlando’s hand tightened, trying to comfort him, until the young man simply closed the gap entirely and pulled Sean into a hug.

“ It’s okay,” soothed Orli in his ear. “ Honestly, it’ll be okay. *We’ll* be okay.”

“ But what happens if it isn’t? What happens if-“

“ What happens happens and that’s all that’s to it. But you’re creating the demons yourself. I’m not sure which one of you is more terrified at the moment, you or Vig,” Orli pressed a kiss to the side of Sean’s head and hugged him a little harder. Sean could feel the young man’s heat against him, the low thud of the young man’s heart, and yet his mind was fixed on one thing.

“ Which one of us is more terrified?” he repeated slowly.

“ What, you think he’s in there reading a book anymore?” Orli sighed. “ He’s not a robot. He’s not a monster. He’s just a man, Sean, and he’s currently petrified that he’s going to screw this one up as much as you,”

Sean was silent. He wasn’t sure it was true, couldn’t see Viggo being able to display this even if it was. But he so wanted to hear the words, find out that it wasn’t just him who was panicking about this. Once the knife came out there would be no going back. He would be branded, whole.

“ If that were true, then he’s treating this as more than just a ‘session’,” Sean commented.

“ Yeah, well, you’re treating it more than just a ‘session’ aren’t you? Or are you planning to spill blood every time you enter the gym?” Orli said softly in Sean’s ear, his hands gently stroking him. Sean stiffened in his grip.

“ The gym?” he repeated shakily. Of course the gym. Where else?

“ Yeah,” Orlando was silent for a moment, obviously wondering whether to venture any further on the quicksand of logistical discussions. “ It’s just-“

“ It’s okay, Orli. You don’t have to explain. I get it,” Sean could feel his words becoming more clipped at each heartbeat.

“ If you ‘got it’ then I doubt we’d be having this conversation,” sighed Orlando regretfully. “ But we’ll have it your way.” There was a pause. “ So, are you going to be ad-libbing through this or was there some master plan tucked away in the back of your mind?”

There was a snort. “ After everything we’ve been through, you can still ask whether I have a master plan? Having a master plan means you have to assess the whole situation, remember? Actually have some idea of what you’re doing and where you plan to get to.” Sean shook his head. “ That’s a ‘no’, in case you’re wondering,”

Orlando was silent for a moment, his hand still gently stroking Sean like he had turned into a Bond Villain cat, his eyes thoughtful. Sean allowed himself to relax a little more, only realising how agitated he actually was when his heart rate reduced to merely frantic, the beats fading away in his hearing.

“ Would you mind if you do me a favour tonight?” queried Orlando idly. The beats suddenly increased slightly. Orlando and favours in the middle of the gym when there might be knives flashing around was up there with the Eeek section of Sean’s head. Sean forced his throat to start being more useful.

“ Favour?” he repeated softly. “ What sort of favour?”

“ Well, it’s not making me a cup of tea,” Orlando grinned at him, the smile dying away as Sean merely stared back at him. Sighing, the younger man patted his arm and continued slowly.

“ I was wondering,” replied Orlando in a slow voice, his hand tracing a pattern on Sean’s side as though desperate for something to do. “ Whether you could make sure I’m not dragged into any more of the dominating parts. You two may not like being it, but I do. I don’t want to get Viggo used to me taking charge, not in the gym.”

Sean was silent. The prospect of remaining completely submissive still made him not entirely comfortable, a way to ensure that Viggo remained happy in what they did but still unable to do whatever you felt like. Orlando’s hand tightened a little further on his side, the younger man’s murmur in his ear like a trapped bee. Obviously Orlando had seen the thought flash across Sean’s expression and had already managed to interpret it. Man was a mind reader, plain and simple.

“ You don’t have to understand the why, Sean. Just the fact that I really want this. Everyone’s different, everyone has their own little twists and turns to their perversions. This is mine.” Orli kissed the top of Sean’s ear as lovingly as you could do with the top of someone’s ear, and stroked him again. Sean could feel his muscles comply under such careful and gentle ministration, and promptly cursed them for being easily persuaded.

“ So are you saying you didn’t like..,” he began a little gruffly when Orli’s patient sigh cut him off, like a monastic master a little disappointed with his student’s progress.

“ No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying I *prefer* being submissive, and by the way you act around Viggo you must have some idea of what I’m saying. I like the feel of his hands over me, and I like the way he claims me. And seeming you two already have enough of the master factor between you, there’s no real need for me to have to do it, right? Three Masters spoil the bondage, remember,”

“ I seem to remember that saying relates to cooks,” replied Sean, but at least he was feeling a little more satisfied. Orlando’s voice was matter of fact and almost blunt, like the younger man was simply commenting on the fact he wasn’t a great fan of the other two’s favourite soap opera. Emotion apparently hadn’t deemed this conversation worthy enough for a nod of the head, although emotion always was a funny cookie.

Orlando shrugged.

“ Well, you get the idea. Too many chiefs, not enough Indians. I could go on for ages with suitable phrases but to be honest I’m bored already.” Orli paused. “ Will you do it?”

Suddenly the pause was infectious. Sean searched his mind for an idea of what this would actually take and was having extreme difficulties in locating something. Did he just comment on it or did he fight Viggo if he tried to push Orli into that situation? *Would* Viggo push Orlando into that situation? After all, he knew him a lot longer than Sean did when it came to what strings to pull in bed.

It took him a few moments to realise that Orlando was being amused at him.

“ Sean, love,” he said softly. “ It’s normally you bringing me into the games in that way. Just don’t encourage Viggo and we’ll be fine, okay? Some people’s positions in life are naturally on their knees,”

“ That’s hardly a nice image,” Sean said exasperated. “ Stuck doing whatever someone else tells you to,”

Orli laughed. “ I just told you what position it was, not what you got up to when you were down there. We can be particularly sneaky if we want to. Honestly, Sean, the respect you have for us poor submissives is awesome, isn’t it?”

“ Well, what sort of power do you have?” Sean’s tension was making him tetchy, and equally almost made him jump out of his skin as Orlando’s hand brushed gently against his groin, squeezing slightly then letting go. Orli looked at him calmly.

“ Can’t imagine,” he replied briskly. “ So, are you going to sit down yet or are you still set to pace a track in the carpet?”

Sean shook his head, uncomfortable. “ I don’t think I can,” his eyes moved back to the window sorrowfully. “ I have to do something, otherwise I’m going to go over it and over it in my mind.”

“ Read a book. Watch a film. Hell, go do the shopping, we need to restock the freezer,” sighed Orlando. “ Staring out the window won’t help you in the slightest, unless you have a paranoid fear that someone’s stalking you. Do something other than pacing!”

The blonde paused, considering this factor. Shopping normally was on par with having teeth pulled, but at least it would get him out the house on a mission. Quests were always good for getting relationships out of your mind, which suddenly offered some more worrying alternative reasons to why Frodo traipsed all over Mount Doom.

But it was just so… *domestic*. If this was the moment of truth, the pinnacle of their relationship, then he really should be doing something more demanding than deciding which frozen pizzas to purchase beforehand. No one ever saw a Japanese Martial Arts film where the lead hero stopped off to pick up the milk before their quest. Hidden carrot, crouching potato.

Honestly.

Orlando rolled his eyes. “ Well, *you* think of something,” he said, the faintest element of irritation in his voice. “ Go watch Match of the Day repeats, or go mess around on the internet and find out the latest scores in the premier league or something. Just stop moping around like a dog who hasn’t been taken for a walk,”

“ You know, you don’t have to be here,” replied Sean crossly, folding his arms. “ Leave me alone. If I want to stand around staring out the window then I have a right to do so!”

Orli gave a growl of annoyance. “ If I didn’t know what was happening to you tonight, I’d be bloody annoyed with you at this point in time!” he snapped, then paused at the startled and faintly scared look on Sean’s face. He sighed again. “ Sorry. That was mean. Look, for the benefit of all our sanity, just sit down and try and do something. You never did try playing Playstation games, did you?”

“ What, blasting to pieces some poor character?” protested Sean. “ It makes your eyes go funny,”

“ And wanking makes you blind, so your eyesight’s already buggered isn’t it?” replied Orlando matter of factly. “ At this point, I just want… oh, forget it. Do what you want.” The younger man shook his head and stepped away in a manner that suggested sulkiness. Sean sighed through his teeth and glanced longingly at his window.

“ Okay. I’ll go get the shopping,” he commented in a dull voice. Orlando looked back at him, the startled expression on his face stating clearly that this had been a wistful thought in a line of wistful thoughts and that Orli obviously hadn’t expected him to take it up. Sean resisted the scowl, and took a few unenthusiastic steps towards the door.

“ The usual stuff?” he threw over his shoulder at him. Orli shrugged.

“ Pretty much. And that means food as well as beer cans, by the way,” There was a pause. “ Do you want me to come with you?”

“ I’m big enough to sort out a shopping trip, thanks,” Sean grinned back lazily at him. “ Unless you just want to add too many packets of bubblegum into the trolley again like last time.”

“ Builds up one of the main food groups does bubblegum,” unrepentant, Orlando shrugged cheerfully. “ But no, I wasn’t. Thought you might like some company, but obviously you’re being that grumpy bear again so I won’t press the issue. Make sure you get some more butter, Viggo had a toast session last night and he’s polished off most of it.”

“ Thought you didn’t eat butter.”

“ I don’t. However, it’s damn good for lubrication,”

Sean’s head snapped up and incredulous green eyes stared back at Orlando, who winked.

“ Psyche,” he grinned.

*

Shopping was got. There was never anything so good to get yourself thinking about the important things by doing the mundane aspects of your life, and shopping was so mundane it was in danger of dropping off the face of the world entirely. Sean hated it; hated the crowds and the free-range children running everywhere, the trolleys that had a mind of their own which never coincided with your own sense of direction, the fact that the supermarket would always be out of the one thing you desperately needed if you remembered it at all.

And then, of course, was the putting away which at least Orlando came out to help with. Of Viggo there was no sight of, although at least the cheerful expression on Orli’s face suggested that something major hadn’t happened whilst Sean had been off unenthusiastically selecting onions. In a moment of niceness Sean had bought Orlando some more bubblegum and he was already chewing away happily, the strawberry scent drifting between them as they unpacked.

“ You know, I could get used to you doing the shopping,” mused Orli as they worked. Sean eyed him grumpily as he put away a bottle of ketchup.

“ You make it sound like I don’t do any of it,” he pointed out. Orlando smiled.

“ You make it sound like you do,” he replied cheerfully. “ It’s amazing how often you’re ‘out’ when it comes to shopping. On the other hand, you do load up the dishwasher and the bins are always put out, so you can take that sulky expression off your face.”

Said sulky expression took a while to depart Sean’s features, but finally it had gone. Green eyes glanced to the kitchen clock and then refocused on a can of beans, trying to ignore the fact that it was now pretty much an hour to wait. Perhaps he should have a shower beforehand, a quick shave, ignore the new and improved shower gel that Orli had insisted Viggo buy in the last shopping trip and was presumably the reason why Sean kept getting a noseful of soft peach scent every time he passed either of them. The Lynx effect it certainly wasn’t, which was why Sean had purchased some new shower products trying to steer the scents back onto something a little more masculine.

Orli had already found it and was throwing it from hand to hand as though the bottle was red hot.

“ YOU bought shower gel?” his voice was incredulous. Sean rolled his eyes and put away a few more cans of food.

“ Yes, I bought shower gel. What, you think I’ve turned into a shoplifter now?” his voice was patient, mostly because he could already see this discussion taking place. Orlando was the buyer for the bathroom. His collection of hair products was worthy of a museum exhibition, his exploration in different scents and potions and creams and whatever else he could lay his non-grubby little paws on was almost as enthusiastic as a woman’s. It was Orlando who refused to allow the duck to be moved, and the one occasion when Sean did finally flip and throw it out, Orli spent a good fifteen minutes going through the rubbish to relocate it. Orlando Bloom was a bastard and a duck lover. Sean vowed to shove the duck in the oven at high temperatures when he wasn’t looking.

“ But you never buy anything for the bathroom,” Orlando was still incredulous. “ Your limit was your toothbrush and that was it.”

“ How filthy d’you think I am?”

“ You’re a human. Of course you’re filthy.” Orli replied cheerfully. “ But buying your own shower gel! Almost a mark of being a man, that.”

“ Orli, at my age if I’m not a man by now I am going to be seriously fucked,” sighed Sean. “ A rite of passage should be something a little more physical, not how nicely you smell when you get out the shower.”

“ What, like how much you can drink without throwing up?” Orlando was critical, although on the basis of how little he could drink without throwing up Sean wasn’t entirely surprised. He shrugged.

“ Yeah, something like that.” He rummaged at the bottom of the bag, trying to ignore the fact that Orli was watching him.

“ There was a time when you didn’t bring anything into the house for fear of seeming too permanent,” he commented in a low voice. Sean paused with his hands on his potatoes, before pressing forth.

“ Yeah, well, that was then and this is now, and this conversation really isn’t getting those carrots into the correct spot is it?” The potatoes were deposited in their new home. Orlando snorted amusement to himself, slapped a friendly hand on Sean’s shoulder and started messing around with the carrots without another word. On the other hand, amusement could be portrayed without the actual use of language; Sean was uncomfortably aware of Orlando’s eyes on his back as he worked.

Heaven alone knew *why* he was uncomfortable, mind you. It was true enough. For ages he hadn’t brought in anything that might have suggested that his position in the household was something more than a casual one night stand which had just managed to drag on, and even now a large proportion of his belongings still remained at his own flat, sitting around unloved in the battle to appear self-reliant. Sean had a sneaking suspicion the only person who had been fighting this particular battle had been himself.

He sighed heavily, hands stopping once again on the shopping. “ Okay, yeah, I didn’t buy anything for a while,” he said reluctantly. “ Sorry,”

A warm body pressed itself to him, Orli’s arms wrapping around in him in the typical Bloom hug, Orlando’s mouth pressing a kiss to Sean’s neck before the young man’s chin rested on his shoulder.

“ Don’t be sorry,” he said warmly. “ It’s great you’re finally relaxed enough to buy shower gel,”

“ You know, that is probably the most idiotic reference I’ve heard for a while,” Sean replied gloomily. “ And even more idiotic for the fact I know what it means. But thanks, anyway,”

Orlando chuckled, kissed him again, and retreated towards the biscuits, putting them away at speed. Sean waited for a few moments, then glanced back at him.

” Orli,” he said slowly. “ Is Viggo okay with this?”

“ What, with shower gel?” Orlando’s voice had gone casual but the hands had stilled briefly on the biscuits. Sean didn’t bother to answer. Orlando sighed. “ Yeah, I think so. You know what he’s like about keeping things under wraps. But he doesn’t seem to be upset or anything. I think he’s seeing it as more of a challenge,”

“ A challenge? Tonight will be seen as a challenge?” Sean repeated slowly, just in case he had misheard. “ What, do we win badges or something?”

“ You want him to see it as something else? A threat to his position? A casual fling?” Brown eyes stared back at him steadily. “ Trust me, out of everything a challenge isn’t the worst thing that could happen.”

Sean shut the cupboard door and ran his hand over the surface of the kitchen worktop idly, feeling the smoothness against his fingers before they drifted towards the drawer near to the sink. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Orli move slightly closer, could already feel the concerned look being aimed at him as Sean slowly opened the drawer to the knives. Viggo preferred them to be out of sight and tucked away rather than the knife block that was so common nowadays, and therefore the gleaming blades simply sparkled whenever the drawer was open.

“ Does yours still hurt?” he asked Orlando just as casually.

“ No. It was fine after a couple of days, as long as it wasn’t nudged or knocked or anything,” Orlando’s voice had a quiet intensity to it. “ Sean, you sure that you’re-“

“ Can I see it?”

This brought Orlando up short. There was a noise that suggested Orli was about to say something further when this was abandoned almost immediately. Sean glanced towards him idly, noting in amusement the pinched expression on Orli’s face. Obviously someone wasn’t as casual as they were happy to make out.

Hands moved to buckles, however. There was the briefest of fumbles and Orlando slid his trousers down to bare his hip, the raised scar marks clear against the smoothness of the olive skin. Sean moved position, his back now resting against the kitchen counter, his eyes thoughtful on the cut that Viggo had inflicted. It had healed nicely, the skin barely puckered at all. By the changes of colour, it was clear that Orlando had bared it to the sun on several occasions, whether accidentally or purposefully.

Sean reached forward and allowed his hand to slide slowly over it, feeling the changes in texture, the rise of the skin. Orli shivered at the touch but remained silent as though someone had found his personal controller and set him on mute.

“ It’s got a nice simplicity about it,” commented Sean after another few moments of silence. Orli looked baffled.

“ I guess. I wasn’t really considering what it looked like,” the younger man’s eyes moved to the scar tissue curiously. “ Just feels like I’m always close to him, you know? That he’s always there, touching me.” There was a snort laugh. “ Fucking hell, I’m spouting romantic dribble. Sorry. Know you don’t like that sort of thing,”

“ As far as I’m concerned, romantic dribble is a good thing. Even if it’s the most appalling stuff on the planet, it’s not people being cross at me and therefore I’m happy,” Sean stroked the soft skin again. Orli was apparently only too happy to let him continue with this and looked almost ready to purr.

“ Yeah? So if I say something complimentary about your eyes you’re not going to give me a look that suggests you’re in two minds whether to drown me in the toilet?” Orli’s own brown eyes flashed in amusement. Sean gave him a look that managed to be both amused and stern. There was a little nod of understanding. “ Whoops, sorry. The toilet suggests the bathroom, and in the bathroom is a certain duck of your acquaintance, isn’t there?”

“ Leave the duck out of this,” Sean moved his hand away swiftly. There was a resulting pout.

“ But *why*? It’s cute. It’s traditional. Everyone should have a duck in their bathroom.”

“ Everyone *should know better* than to have a duck in their bathroom,” amended Sean. “ And I don’t want to talk about …,” he caught the look that Orli gave him and sighed angrily, remembering the fact that today of all days was one where the phrase ‘don’t want to talk about it’ didn’t make an entrance. “ Shit,”

Orlando pulled up his trousers and rebuckled his belt, his eyes fixed on Sean in interest. “ So what’s with the whole duck situation, now you’re being truthful and talkative? It’s a lump of floating plastic. Never thought you would have a phobia of a lump of floating plastic, and don’t give me that look, I’ve seen the murderous glares that have been aimed at that duck whenever you’ve entered the bathroom. You want it dead, don’t you? Why?”

“ Yes, I want it gone. It annoys me.” Sean growled. Orlando leant back against the counter himself and gave Sean the type of look that clearly stated that this was not the answer he was looking for. Teeth were ground silently, before Sean tried to focus on providing a slightly longer version. “ It reminds me of things I don’t want to be reminded of, okay? And it keeps popping up! The damn thing is following me like some dog, but the dog turns out to be rabid.”

Orlando paused, obviously mulling over whether to ask further questions or whether to just let it drop. However, he seized the opportunity whilst it was still lurking around.

“ Where did it come from?” he asked softly. Sean growled.

“ Karl’s.”

There was a flash of understanding in Orlando’s eyes. “ From that evening…?” he queried. Sean nodded, a hard look in his eyes. Orli nodded. “ Right. Okay. I’ll get rid of it,”

“ You can’t. It’ll come back the very next day. It’s haunting me,”

“ Just because you’re into romantic dribble doesn’t mean that you have to get all melodramatic on me,” sighed Orli patiently. “ I’ll give it away. Hell, I can give it back to Karl, he obviously liked it at one point. I’ll just say the duck missed him,”

“ He’ll think you’re a looney,” Sean raised an eyebrow. Orlando shrugged and put a solemn expression on his face.

“ Then that will be the cross I will have to bear,” he replied, then spoilt the sincerity by grinning broadly. “ Hell, I’m talking about a plastic military coloured duck! And while I’m there I’ll ask him if I can buy his sofa.”

The can of beans that had been in Sean’s hand suddenly clattered to the floor. Buy the sofa. Buying the sofa suggested so many things, especially new and ‘improved’ furniture arrangements. Buying the sofa suggested the fact that he would have to put up with it day in, day out, the sofa’s silent threat overwhelming him until-

Okay, maybe he was a little more melodramatic today. All he needed was a long thin black moustache to twirl and he’d be sorted.

“ Sean?” Orli said slowly. “ You okay?”

Actually, he wasn’t. Being okay normally involved your heartbeat remaining in your chest and not pounding in your ears. Being okay normally involved your back not being covered in cold sweat, your muscles trembling with the effort of simply being there. Being okay normally didn’t include loud swear words in the privacy of your own head for being utterly ridiculous.

Orli’s hand found its way to his arm again, like he was offering a lifebelt. Sean laughed in a manner that sounded forced even to his ears, and picked up the can of beans again in an effort to regain his cool and collected manner. James Bond he currently wasn’t.

“ Shit, sorry love. I knew you were still unhappy about it, but when you desecrated it with Dave I assumed you’d gotten over a bit of it. It’s okay. It’s not coming here. Well, it might. Depends where it would be safest to burn it,”

The can of beans almost plummeted once again, as though the metal hid a suicidal lemming within it. Sean stared back at Orlando in disbelief. Burn the sofa? You couldn’t burn sofas! It had to be against some sort of regulation.

“ And why…..,” Sean had been about to ask why he was bothering, but gave up after the second word. It was blatantly obvious why, just as it was blatantly obvious that his own opinions on the sofa hadn’t been kept in the privacy of his own mind. He sighed heavily.

“ Viggo said you had a problem with it. He wasn’t kidding, was he?” Orlando stared at him in awe. “ Not a problem. It’ll be dead before you know it. It’ll never come back to … uh… ruin your living room aesthetics again!”

“ It’s nothing to do with interior design, Orli,” sighed Sean.

“ Yeah, I know,” sighed Orlando. “ Which is why it’s getting mentioned in the first place. Honest to God, Sean. It’ll go, even if I have to break into Karl’s place and wreck it so badly he’d have to throw it out,”

An eyebrow raised, but a smile had already made its way to the surface ruining any hopes of sensible expressions. Sean snorted amusement.

” You’d do that, eh?”

“ Damn right. You know when it’s love when your man offers to go break into somewhere and ruin a sofa in your honour,” Orlando was back to bouncy, eyes sparkling. Sean glanced at him again thoughtfully. It was an incredible feat to be able to do that, able to speak his mind and his desires so casually and so cheerfully. Sean wondered whether his life would have been much simpler if he had that ability. Probably not, though. Everyone had their problems. Lose one and you normally gained two.

Mind you, that didn’t mean you couldn’t have a happy medium. Or at least a faintly happy medium anyway, even if this did give him images of a smug looking fortune teller. :-)

“ Orlando, I…,” Sean felt a pillock. Probably looked a pillock as well. You didn’t normally make these sorts of speeches clutching cans of beans. “ Uh.”

“ Yeah?” Orlando was looking at him with an expression that suggested the younger man wasn’t sure whether to be cautious or happy Sean was speaking. The blonde sighed and decided to just spit the damn thing out, except with better table manners.

“ You know I love you, right?” okay, voice could have been a little more Pierce Brosnan, a little less pissed off Russell Crowe, but at least the words were there and made sense. Sean clutched his can of beans a little tighter until he realised exactly how idiotic he actually was being and simply put it down on the counter instead.

Orlando grinned at him. “ Cause I do. You went shopping for me. You’d have told me where to shove the celery if you didn’t.”

“ There’s more to love than going to buy the … uh,” Sean suddenly remembered which item of shopping he had, in fact, forgotten to buy. There was a brief flush to his cheeks. “ I think I kinda forgot-“

“ I know, that’s why I chose it,” grinned Orlando. “ Making a point in a subtle way. Bet you won’t forget it next time, eh?” A kiss was planted on Sean’s cheek. “ I know, babe. I know,” he said softly.

Sean felt himself flush a little further, the warm rising to his cheeks. “ Well, just make sure you remember it,” he said gruffly. Orlando laughed in amusement and grinned at him cheekily before turning back to the tasks in hand. Romance was all very well but housework *was* housework.

*

The session had arrived.

Sean hadn’t known what to expect when he finally stepped into the room. Possibly candles flickering in the background, their flame the only source of light. Possibly a dangerous soundtrack, dramatic music of the “dum dum DUMMMMM!” variety as soon as he passed the doorway. Possibly even Viggo dressed from head to foot in tight leather with a stern expression, arms folded across his chest yet still managing to hold on to what looked like a very dangerous whip in one hand.

Okay, one out of three wasn’t bad….

Orlando had whimpered as soon as he had entered the room, and it wasn’t a whimper that stated that he was in any way concerned about the fact that Viggo looked like he had been covered in sticky backed plastic as though part of a Blue Peter ‘how to make’ session, unless sexually charged whimpers were the new scream, however. Obviously buttons weren’t so much being pressed as thumped hard in the interior of Orlando’s mind.

If he was bothered about the effect he was currently having on them Viggo didn’t show it. Wasn’t showing anything in fact. Man was a mask. Scenes from the Scream movies flashed into Sean’s head briefly before disappearing once again into the mental black hole as the blonde tried to get his mind back onto the situation in hand.

Viggo, of course, was already ready. Grey-blue eyes slid towards Orli in assessment, the younger man all but squirming where he stood. There was the faintest of nods, which apparently was the Viggo sign language for “lets get naked” as Orlando immediately stripped himself of his clothing with more enthusiasm than he gave for free strawberry bubblegum. The clothes were carefully put on the side before Orlando returned, his eyes fixed on Viggo.

The grey-blue gaze moved towards Sean curiously, obviously waiting. The blonde stared back at him, wondering whether this was a good thing or whether he should be tactfully adverting his gaze. But then again if Viggo was favouring the Mortensen sign language over speech how the bloody hell was Sean supposed to read the signs if he was busy studying the floor?

Excellent. Two seconds in and he was already completely lost in what he was supposed to be doing.

Strangely enough, he didn’t seem as bothered by this as he normally did. Sure, he was feeling a little uncertain, but it was the sort of uncertainty you had when faced with a new board game; you didn’t initially know how to play, but had a damn good idea you were likely to pick it up real quick. Sean had to stamp down on the desire to slide his hands over the new and improved wipe-clean Viggo, but forced himself to behave. Now was not the time to start arguing who had the right to shove his hands where.

There was the briefest flicker of a smile on Viggo’s face, before the man shrugged lightly and moved his eyes casually down Sean’s still dressed form. An eyebrow raised in command and even Sean could work this one out. Clothes didn’t quite vanish in a blink of an eye as reality wasn’t having any of it, but they disappeared extremely quickly. In fact, they couldn’t have vanished quicker even if they had been dissolvable and Sean was sitting in a tub of water.

“ Knees,” Viggo’s voice was clear and precise, and a shock in the silence of the room. This was obeyed. Hell, it was nice to have a clear order TO be obeyed, and chances were it was going to get more difficult from here on in. Sean’s eyes were fixed on Viggo as he sank to his knees, watching as the man moved towards one of the drawers and fished out a few items which had clearly been placed on top in preparation. Sean’s eyes caught sight of the collars and his body stiffened in anticipation. Certain parts stiffened a little more than others, which only went to show what influence the pet stores had on the general sex industry.

Orlando’s collar was placed on him first, with the faintest of jingles which suggested that the young man was having a bell fitted rather than a collar to prove identity. The whole cat thing was emphasised by the fact that there was a small purr as Viggo ran his finger across Orlando’s cheek, stroking him gently. Much too gently for this place, for that matter. This was probably the new form of torture; paranoia in the bedroom. As a threat, it lacked emphasis.

Sean’s own collar had less of a jingle and more of a solid factor to it, the leather equivalent of Viggo resting his hands around his throat and not yet squeezing. The little metal tag was still resting against his overheated skin, the coldness like a brand. Sean stared upwards at him silently, waiting for instructions.

Which never came.

Hmmmmph.

Sean watched Viggo for a good minute or so, in his estimation, Viggo idly looking back at them as though they were simply waiting for a bus. No instructions. Not even so much as a flicker of the eyes, a smile at the corner of the mouth. Nothing.

And that, Sean realised finally, was the whole bloody point. This was a test, and no one had bothered to tell him to revise. House rules: don’t start talking unless Viggo wanted you to, regardless of how irritating the bastard was being or how completely unfair life was. Don’t do anything until Viggo wanted you to do it. In fact, just be a nice little slave on the floor and you couldn’t go wrong.

Possibly.

His hands curled a little further into fists whilst the remainder of Sean’s body stayed perfectly still. The blonde could see Orlando out of the corner of his eye, behaving himself, waiting silently with a hopeful but obedient look on his face that suggested that the younger man could sit there all day without moving if that was what Viggo wanted. It was sweet, in a seriously disturbing way.

There was no way in hell Sean was going to be able to do that. He could already feel the impatience bubbling away in the back of his mind, ordering him to do things that would be classified as seriously non-submissive. The image of simply pouncing on Viggo in front of him was so appealing and so realistic that it was as though he could almost see it, the feel of the slick leather-like fabric under his fingers, Viggo’s mouth on his own, their bodies crushed up so hard that at least one of them would be having trouble breathing…

Sean shifted uncomfortably and tried to focus his thoughts on things non-sexual. Flowers. Mountains. Goats frolicking over mountain passes. A pint of beer, a single drop sliding down the side of the glass to be carefully licked up by Viggo’s tongue-

*Damn*!

A chuckle brought his attention back to Viggo in front of him, Sean’s obedient stare looking distinctly more feral and pissed off.

“ You don’t look happy,” Viggo advised.

“ I’m fine.” Obedience did not growl an answer. Put on the best sexy voice and just *behave* you bastard.

“ Yeah? So we can stay here all day like this?” A low purr, Viggo’s eyes watching him thoughtfully. “ Almost meditation, isn’t it?”

Sean didn’t trust himself to speak. Viggo lifted his head.

“ Well?” he said sharply. Obviously an answer was expected, and it wasn’t the crude variety. Sean ground his teeth.

“ Yes, sir,” Sullen. Too sullen. How fucking hard was this supposed to be anyway? Obviously take the Master on a couple of occasions and you ruined your good little submissive route far too well. A quick glance at Viggo told of a thoughtful look being aimed in his direction, probably working out whether Sean’s response classified as grumpy obedience or a weak resistance. That was the problem with such sessions; the master was normally on the watch for anything that might allow them to play with their new toys. Sean resisted the urge to shift positions for fear of what it might accidentally imply; getting punished was one thing but he was buggered if he was going to suffer because of poor circulation in his foot.

There was the faintest of sighs, and Viggo had moved back to Orlando who by only the grace of god was managing to keep his backside on the floor, squirming and trembling like a cute little puppy dog told to stay in a room of exciting new playmates. Viggo stepped forward, his hand resting on Orlando’s head for a moment, simply looking down at him with a smile.

And that was probably the point where the proceedings took a new twist.

“ Orlando,” This was a new voice. This was a voice that didn’t mess around. This was a voice that suggested that if anyone so much as sneezed without permission some tower block down the road was going to get blown up. “ Get on the bed and prepare yourself. Now.”

Prepare yourself? Sean resisted the urge to glance that was, uncertain what on earth Viggo was on about. When you had two other men around you weren’t *supposed* to be preparing yourself. That was the whole bloody point, surely?

However, such thoughts were obviously not causing Orli too much concern given the fact that the younger man was doing it, and did it with the casual air of someone who had been in this position before and had even had time to send home a few postcards. Orli lay on his back, deliberately in a position where both other men could view him without needing to shift positions to get a better angle which was probably nice of him. Or possibly it was the most sadistic thing that anyone could have dreamed of, more sadistic than a session with Viggo in a room full of whips and cheesy Barry Manilow music playing in the background. A tube of lube was seized and squeezed, Orlando slicking his fingers up with the slow, delicate movements of a performer.

Little git.

Sean’s breath caught in his throat as he watched, unable to draw his eyes away from the New and Improved Orlando Bloom Show occurring directly in front of him. One finger slid up inside Orli until the knuckle, the little moans were fast becoming a danger to Sean’s sense of well being. Green eyes slid towards Viggo who was also watching but with amusement, his arms folded as he viewed with the apparent detachment of watching a good cartoon. Only the hard outline of his erection against his shiny outfit indicated otherwise.

Orlando was obviously far more concerned about his audience than himself. Every movement, every little groan was calculated to tease their imaginations. The younger man had moved onto two fingers very quickly, and was current corkscrewing them inside him. If that had been Sean getting that sort of treatment he would have been writhing on the bed already. But no, only the faintest look of concentration marred Orlando’s features, his breathing the only obvious change in his whole demeanour. Cucumbers had nothing on Bloom for the whole ‘cool-as-a’ factor.

Bastard. Viggo better not be expecting such military precision from him otherwise he was in for an interesting time.

Speaking of Viggo, Sean wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him. Viggo still seemed like Viggo, the dark, moody bastard with a blank expression that could have been anything from considering the shopping list to planning your execution just to see the look on your face. Obviously tests were occurring for everyone at this point in time. Light eyes that suddenly seemed darker than normal flickered to Sean in acknowledgement of his interest, before returning to Orlando in what was almost a bored way.

“ Sean,” The instruction was soft and sudden and the blonde almost jumped, the tag of his collar chinking with the movement. Sean stared at him. The corner of Viggo’s mouth crept upwards slightly. “ You want to go help him?”

Well, yes. But that was surely beside the point.

Sean paused to wait to see whether that had simply been a query or whether an actual instruction had been given. He could hear Orlando moaning in the background, the soft sounds of the bed moving slightly as the young man shifted his weight on the mattress. Viggo cocked his head to one side, watching him.

“ Well?”

An answer was clearly required. Sean nodded once, not trusting his voice to work properly. Bondage might be all fine and good but you were undoubtedly going to look a prat if you did it whilst sounding like a mouse. The half grin that had been on the older man’s face suddenly increased dramatically. It wasn’t a nice smile entirely. Could have been worse. Could have been gentler. Could have avoided looking like a wolf in sheep’s clothing but hell, Sean supposed it was more difficult to avoid the usual paranoia when the person wearing said grin was dressed up in leather and was *still* holding that bloody whip.

Bad choice of phrase there. *Un*-bloody whip.

Viggo gave a nod towards Orlando, his eyes never moving from Sean.

“ Well, there he is. Don’t let me stop you taking your fill.” A low drawl. The blonde started to move, then stopped again, looking back at Viggo with growing suspicion. This was too easy. Okay, so this wasn’t a Hollywood script and there wasn’t a Big Bad in the background, but it was still far too easy when it came to Viggo’s thoughts and deeds and hell, the man had had the whole bloody afternoon to work out what he was going to be doing in the gym.

If he had learnt anything in this time, it was that.

Orlando had obviously reached the point where he didn’t care what the fuck happened or who it happened to as long as the delay was kept to a minimum. There was a soft whimper from the bed, which was obviously Orli’s way of pointing out the blatantly obvious; they were all here for dodgy sex, and dodgy sex seriously wasn’t occurring.

“ What’s the matter, Sean?” Viggo watched him. “ Scared?”

Was that really supposed to be a yes-no question? Sean watched him for a moment longer, then decided to throw caution to the winds. Viggo was too cunning for Sean not to blunder into one of his set ups at some point, and hell, whips were there to be used eventually.

And when it was all said and done, was he scared? How much of the heart thumping in his chest was down to mere anticipation and adrenalin rather than the fear he had always assumed it was? For the first time, the deep breath managed to cool him down, to allow his eyes to return to Viggo in something approaching calm and relaxation rather than anything else.

He could do this. And for once it wasn’t just a voice in his head pleading with him. He could. He knew it. Knew it within every fibre of his being. It had only been a matter of time.

Giving an obedient nod and pushing himself off the floor Sean made his way towards the bed, Orli’s chocolate brown eyes staring at him wistfully as the blonde got closer. Sean could see the level of desire in Orlando’s eyes, the pleading that the games would begin in earnest. The blonde gave the smallest smile of support which may or may not have been completely ignored, depending on how you interpreted the frustrated look.

Sean could hear Viggo move behind him and fought himself not to turn round. He knew what he should be doing, after all. Didn’t need to keep glancing back as though Viggo was some demon that had a nasty tendency to teleport all over the place. He wasn’t a novice at this, not any longer. Stop throwing the decisions onto someone else and start taking charge for your own sex drive.

His hand trailed along already overheated skin, Orlando’s mouth opening slightly as fingers followed the line of his body. Sean could feel the young man trembling with the contact, Orli’s own actions halted at the appearance of the older man at his bedside. The frustrated expression had altered slightly to one that wasn’t entirely sure what the next step was, an English man faced with instructions written in Japanese.

They stayed like that for a moment until Sean realised he was probably going to be torturing the poor kid more than Viggo could ever hope to do. Delays and orgasms were not great stable mates.

Sean’s hand drifted across Orlando’s stomach further, feeling the muscles contract at the touch. Orlando’s eyes seemed to get wider if that were possible, two dark brown orbs of black water that sucked the viewer in with no consideration for their wellbeing or personal diary. Worse than quicksand were those eyes. Worse than the most violent whirlpool. Lassie the wonder collie couldn’t do better at transmitting messages with his eyes, although thankfully the dog never had to go past ‘someone was stuck in a well’. Orlando was happily transmitting Shakespearean sonnets, albeit the ones about love and lust.

The gasp that Orlando made as Sean finally touched his erection was incredible, a noise that was both softly silent yet as loud as a gunshot in an enclosed area. Little whimpers soon followed, the Orli speak for ‘get on with it you bastard’. Orli was a man who could kill with cute.

As Sean’s hand worked, his thumb running over the head of Orli’s cock before his whole hand slid down the younger man’s length with powerful determination, there was still a noticeable lack of movement from behind him. Hmmmmph. Well, if the beast would not come to you, sulk and be a pain until it did.

Obviously Orlando hadn’t been expecting the possibility that Sean would bend down and take his cock in his mouth based on the cry he made. Sean’s tongue ran over the areas he had touched only moments ago with his hands before taking the younger man as deeply as he could, fighting the gag reflex as the head of Orlando’s cock banged against the back of his throat accidentally. There was a thin bead of sweat running down his back as he had to bend further and further over the bed, licking, sucking, running his tongue down the length of the man’s cock before taking it as far as he could again, always feeling like there was going to be a point where he would feel something come up behind him and claim him.

And, of course, there was *always* going to be that point.

Orlando was lucky not to be bitten as Viggo’s hand rested on Sean’s shoulder, making the next few thoughts in Sean’s mind form an extra long scream. Bloody sodding man!! Had he not heard of caution?!

“ No,” came the low instruction as Sean began to pull away from Orli. The blonde hesitated and then grudgingly got back to work, unable to see what was happening behind him and berating himself for this loudly in his mind. He had to have had a blow job, didn’t he. Couldn’t just have settled for a hand job, oh no, that would be too easy for someone like Sean. And now Viggo was behind him and he couldn’t see what he was doing and it was all likely to end up messy.

Good, whispered his mind. About sodding time.

Sean sighed inwardly. You knew you were fucked when your mind decided to team up with the other party. Loyalty and dignity was all very well, but a smut fest was a smut fest.

However, he didn’t have too long to consider this as a finger ran down Sean’s spine and dipped into the cleft of his buttocks. The blonde squirmed automatically from the touch.

“ Hold,” came the instruction. It took Sean a moment or two to work out that actually meant stop rather than actually physically holding onto something. Orlando whimpered with need as Sean’s tongue stopped, his whole mouth stopped working, throat suddenly returning to the desert of dryness. There was a chuckle from behind him.

“ I didn’t mean to that extent,” Amusement was evident in Viggo’s voice and hoorah for that. Sean swallowed through a throat that suddenly felt as wide as a worm tunnel in soft mud and gingerly continued working Orlando’s erection as though the young man was somehow triggered to an explosive devise. If Orlando’s moans dropped below two per second…boom!

He really had to get out more.

On the other hand he really didn’t have time to berate himself for the lack of outer bondage social life as suddenly something large, solid and thankfully slippery suddenly pushed an inch into him where it stopped and threatened like an unexploded bomb. Sean’s legs almost gave out. His mouth almost closed on Orlando. His throat made a gagging noise in shock, the blonde moving off him to take an urgent gulp of air to help still his trembling muscles.

And what happened to *warning?!* Surprised beyond belief, his arse was currently stinging like crazy to illustrate its unhappiness about the uninvited guest. Sean gulped a few more lungfuls of air greedily, trying to keep still.

There was another amused noise behind him. The item shifted, twisted, and Sean groaned aloud at the sensation. He could see alarm in Orlando’s eyes, the young man obviously anxious that Sean wasn’t okay with this. Didn’t really have time to explain how this wasn’t anything to do with fear or problems, simply a growing desire to slap certain people round the back of the head for not giving him any notice of intention before forcing Sean’s muscles to consider house guests.

Apparently there was a time limit as to how long he had to be able to cope as well. Bless him.

“ Get on with it,” came the dry voice behind him, still faintly bored. Sean growled softly in the back of his throat and refocused on Orlando’s body. However, as soon as his tongue touched the hard flesh the plug – or whatever the hell it was – suddenly got twisted again. Sean gagged and paused again, working out logistics in his head.

“ I told you to get on with it,”

Okay, and focusing was really difficult when you had a plastic whatsit up your backside occasionally being twisted whenever Viggo felt the urge. The urge apparently was on happy hour at the moment by the amount that the vibrations flooded him. Orlando moaned as Sean managed to continue, the younger man squirming slightly as Sean’s tongue applied itself to sensitive areas. Hands gripping Orli’s hips stopped this little problem, although bruises would probably make themselves known far too easily. Sean’s hand brushed against the rise of the scar tissue, causing his mind to consider further possibilities.

What happened if Viggo had a knife at this very moment?

No. Viggo wouldn’t do something quite so dangerous. All it took was Sean to move in a direction that Viggo wasn’t expecting and suddenly they were looking at telephone calls to the emergency services.

And hell, he didn’t even know whether Viggo was planning to mark him anyway. Why would he? Marking would be so permanent. A shower gel could be thrown out, but a scar was for life.

Obviously Viggo had some deep way of knowing when Sean was thinking too much as suddenly the plastic whatsit was pushed in a little deeper, brushing against the little bundle of nerves and taking thoughts of anything else away from his mind. God!

Well, if he was going to turn into a little puddle of twitching nerves, then the least he could do was to return the favour, Orli’s moans getting noticeably louder as suddenly Sean stepped up the attack. Leaning across a bed was a bastard. There was absolutely nothing to rub yourself up against. You wanted relief you’d better hope your partners were feeling generous.

Marvellous.

At the point where Orlando was threatening to come messily down Sean’s throat, Viggo decided to get involved again. A hand rested on Sean’s shoulder.

“ Stop,”

Stop. Go. Hold. Any more of this and they were looking at driving lessons. Watch out for that bus was probably the next on the list.

On the other hand, this was an easy enough instruction to obey, even if it was a little sadistic. Orlando was not best pleased, although Sean was impressed by the level of willpower the young man had. No whining or whimpering. Just a solid look of frustration in those chocolate brown eyes, a look that was almost dangerous.

Sean really had to stop thinking of Orlando as some weak innocent. He wasn’t. He knew he wasn’t. But it was impressive what the mind made up in the face of such an innocent looking youngster. Currently innocent looking youngster looked as though his dying wish would be to skin Sean alive for daring to stop at such a point.

The plastic thingamabob caused further problems as Sean tried to straighten. The blonde hissed a curse and resisted the urge to simply get the damn thing out. Whatever it was it really hadn’t been designed for movement and that was a pain in the arse, both literally and figuratively.

Orlando’s eyes shifted from the accusation on Sean to movement behind Sean’s shoulder. A hand rested itself on the small of Sean’s back, Viggo’s breath in his ear. The blonde kept perfectly still, or as still as he was ever likely to achieve given the circumstances, the slightest tremble of anticipation working its way through his body.

Please, yes. Keep going. *Keep going, you bastard*

The hand drifted lower, Sean repressing the whimper as the new toy was gripped again. The whole toy business was obviously what came of not keeping an eye on people’s shopping lists, although no doubt this particular item probably came from Viggo’s specialist catalogue. However, it was apparently not due to be twisted again; Viggo merely drummed his fingers on it, causing more than a little vibration, and then moved away again completely.

You had to be kidding him. Was he trying to kill him with frustration?

Sean met and matched Orlando’s desperate gaze, and resisted the urge to glance back over his shoulder. Anything could happen back there, anything at all and that really wasn’t assisting his current state of well being.

Sure enough;

“ Sean, two steps backwards and on your knees,” came the instruction. Almost some form of country dancing. Probably had to doe-si-doe any moment.

As soon as Sean was in the required position, Viggo approached the bed again, smiling slightly at Orli. The younger man didn’t have time to smile back; suddenly his hips were hooked by Viggo and pulled forward, Orlando almost dangling off the edge of the bed. By the yelp, obviously they weren’t talking gently either which was probably going to remain unremarked upon.

“ Hope you did a good job,” Viggo’s voice was pleasant, even as he suddenly spread and pushed Orlando’s legs apart and thrust inside him with the speed of a striking snake. Sean winced. Honestly winced. Regardless of how good a job Orli did that was undeniably going to be more than a slight twinge, and Viggo wasn’t even allowing him the time to adjust. The older man’s thrusts were solid and fast, Sean having to close his eyes briefly to concentrate.

He knew in his heart it was fine, and hell, that was obviously the whole damn point of this. House rules. Viggo rules. No objections. Not even when it was plonked in front of your nose so you could judge said activity in glorious technicolour.

The blonde was sure the damn image wasn’t supposed to have a direct link to his groin either. Gits. The pair of them.

Sean took a deeper breath to steady his nerves and opened his eyes again. Relax. And, hell, he was relaxing, he could feel his muscles slowly begin to loosen. There had been a time in his life when his shoulders would have been harder than Everest from the tension but apparently his body had had a general meeting in the meantime and decided that this particular policy was likely to get him into a whole world of hurt one way or another. This could only be a good thing.

Orli was moaning, the discomfort of the first few cries having moved swiftly into sensual pleasure. Not particularly surprising considering how close the boy had been to the edge before Viggo’s great Exploration, but comforting nevertheless. Sean watched as Viggo thrust into him harder, the younger man’s body moving in time on the bed, Orli’s hands gripping the bed hard as though that was the only thing that was anchoring him to the mattress.

But, like a good little slave, not a word passed his lips, not of encouragement, not of discouragement, not even to comment on the fact that Viggo’s shiny suit obviously had interesting places to open.

Sean’s tongue wet his lips, focusing on the sight in front of him. Probably should have been looking at the floor, normally had to. But hell, it was directly in front of him and Orli was squeaking and Viggo was either grunting or growling or at least making a noise that sounded as though it was being produced by a large predator who had a rival tiptoeing on his borders. The blonde’s erection was taking on the entirety of the tension in this matter, so hard that it felt heavy enough that he could have smeared it with concrete and still not have noticed.

Lip was bitten. Whimper was suppressed. Viggo was cursed mentally.

And still Viggo hadn’t finished. In fact the damn thrusts were slowing, smoother, as though deliberately making it as difficult as possible to ignore before Viggo just as deliberately slammed back into Orlando with a little slapping sound as Viggo buried himself in the younger man.

And just at the moment where Sean didn’t think he was able to keep still and quiet for a moment longer, Viggo pulled out. No gasps. No murmurs. Just slid out of Orlando and stepped back, as though he had forgotten some minor household chore before leaving the home, Orli’s harsh pants the only thing sounding in the room.

“ Orlando, floor,” Obviously the frustration was either less in Viggo or perfectly controlled. Orlando, obedient to the very end, swiftly moved from the bed to his knees, the sweat on the man’s body glinting in the lighting of the room. Heavy breaths racked the younger man’s chest, the hands that touched the floor trembling with effort.

And finally Viggo’s gaze fell back on Sean. Considering, the faintest level of surprise as though the older man had forgotten that Sean was there.

“ You want a go, pet?” Viggo almost purred it. “ Take him hard and fast? You look uncomfortable there,”

No shit, Sherlock. Sean resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably and simply waited for him to continue. He knew this little trick of temptation. That wasn’t an order. That wasn’t even an offer. That was a query as to Sean’s state of mind, and hell, he wasn’t falling for that one again. Okay, so the temptation of taking Orlando hard, fast and NOW was almost ridiculous in desire. But that wasn’t the game.

Hey, he was working this whole thing out. Finally, the booklet of life was speaking to him.

About sodding time.

Viggo almost looked disappointed when Sean didn’t take him up on his temptation, but the neutral expression was back in force.

“ I see,” he murmured. “ Like that is it? Well, if you’re not going to give me any source of amusement I guess I’m going to have to organise something else. Hands and knees,”

Plastic whatsit moved inside him as Sean moved into the required position, keeping his eyes to the floor as Viggo strolled towards him, his hand resting on Sean’s hand as though petting a large animal. His fingers slid to Sean’s collar, running a finger between the hard leather and Sean’s overheated skin as though testing how tight it was.

“ Good doggie,” murmured Viggo. Sean didn’t even growl at this comment, having expected it since the order. Obviously this managed to baffle Viggo slightly as the hand paused, then patted Sean on the head again. “ There was a time when you would have taken my head off for that,”

Another house rule. No talking unless specifically asked. Sean was feeling smug.

There was a snort of amusement from Viggo at the silence. Finally the hand slipped off Sean’s head, Viggo moving away again. The blonde resisted the urge to track the other man’s moments like a hawk and simply focused on the floor in front of him. The floor, needless to say, was bloody boring as a subject especially when Viggo was approaching Orlando again.

Nope. Apologises for the floor for being abandoned in its hour of need but this was too interesting not to sneak a peek and pray you didn’t get caught. Or possibly get caught; Sean wasn’t entirely sure. Sure, getting caught would result in a Viggo Special of Punishment, but then again the blonde was shocked to discover he was trembling with anticipation just at the thought of it. He tried to put it down to a burning need to do *something*, but there was a niggling thought in the back of his head…

A sudden slap sounding in the background jerked him out of his private world to stare back at the bed. What had he missed?

“ Floor, Orli,”

There was a slid and a soft thud as Orlando hit the floor in a rather ungraceful heap and stared up at Viggo with wide eyes and a grin that really shouldn’t have been Viggo approved.

It wasn’t.

There was another slap and the grin was wiped quicker than writing on a blackboard meeting a wet sponge. An apologetic look replaced the grin. Sean was faintly impressed Orlando hadn’t attempted the cute whimpers as well. Orli had an impressive routine when he wanted to.

Suddenly he found himself grinning as well, and forced himself to keep it under wraps. Grinning just wasn’t supposed to be on the menu, not even at Happy Hour. Okay, so it was addictive and hell, it was just *there* as though it had always been a part of him, but it wasn’t part of regulations. It would just have to go back in the box from whence it came.

Box… box… here box, get here you bastard before Viggo actually noticed-

“ Sean? You have a joke you want to share?”

Sean stared back at Viggo, his heart racing. Hard and cold grey eyes stared back at him; even Orlando’s expression had grown watchful.

“ I .. er…,”

“ Well?” Viggo’s voice was menacing. Sean struggled to find something to say but excuses were apparently out of season at the moment and the only thing he could think of were poor jokes suddenly swimming through his mind. Oh, sod it. The blonde glanced up finally and grinned slightly.

“ I take it you heard the one about the Irishman, the Scotsman and the Englishman?”

There was a stunned silence as obviously the other two had to readjust their thoughts to cope with the answer. Finally there was a glimmer of honest amusement on Viggo’s face, the older man having to look away briefly to regain his stern composure.

*Got you* Sean grinned inwardly and tried to put on the most submissive expression he could before Viggo came back. Orlando was looking between the pair of them as though he had spotted a strange and unusual specimen of rabbit that was currently playing silly buggers in amongst them. Finally Orli shook his head and adjusted his position in the manner of one who wasn’t entirely sure he got the joke but was feeling patient enough to put up with the weirdness of an older mind. Sean coughed back another laugh and gathered his entire acting ability in order to keep a straight face, looking back down at the floor.

Yeah, floor hadn’t got much more entertaining than last he had seen it but at least it equally wasn’t trying to ruin his composure. Obviously the carpet had already heard that particular joke.

“ Sorry,” Sean offered as a peace offering.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Viggo wave this off casually and turn back to Orlando, the Big Bad Wolf expression obviously trying to make a reappearance. Well, huffing and puffing was almost certainly supposed to be scheduled, although knowing Orlando’s temperament it certainly wasn’t the house that was likely to get blown down. Composure managed to get a little more of a boost as the blonde took in the sudden introduction of wariness into Orlando’s expression that suggested that Viggo had certainly managed to get some of his previous menace back into his eyes.

With a thud of realisation Sean suddenly realised he was watching the proceedings as though watching a good soap opera; his interest was solid and a relative blender of emotions but there was a certain detachment. Regardless of how it ended, it was fiction. The performance wasn’t real. Wasn’t even on the same page as reality and the bookmark of sanity had abandoned him a long time before.

He just wasn’t sure how to take that.

Thankfully, Viggo didn’t really give him a choice; a hand ran along Orlando’s arm as though testing the quality before the older man pressed himself closer to Orli, his tongue demanding entry to Orlando’s mouth on what was definitely a VIP basis. It was a brutal kiss, the type that werewolves probably perfected when they had nothing better to do whilst lurking round the back of graveyards trying to find the elusive late night churchgoer. Orlando was even helping this particular image by some little whimpers whenever Viggo allowed him to make a noise which, to be fair, wasn’t that often. Oxygen was definitely in short supply.

Sean shifted on his knees trying to find the willpower not to get into a better position to watch. His CV was not supposed to have Raging Pervert underlined twice in red, despite his amateur attempts of doing it.

“ Sean, you were supposed to be on hands and knees,” Viggo broke off the kiss in order to toss the order over his shoulder, grey-blue eyes never leaving Orlando’s wide desperate ones. Sean shifted position once again, collar jangling against his chest as though he was a dog wanting to be walked before he peed on the carpet, watching as Viggo kissed the younger man once more before nodding and getting up again.

“ Take him,” he commented.

Sean had to rerun that particular sentence in his head just in case his optimism had decided to change Viggo’s words. The older man glanced at him when it was obvious that Sean hadn’t moved, a look of surprise showing clearly.

“ You object to that?” he queried idly. Sean’s head snapped up a little more. Object? Was he kidding? Viggo shrugged slightly and gestured. “ Then get on with it,”

The blonde moved slightly and was once again reminded that certain plastic plugs were snug in their new homes. Sean hissed through his teeth and prayed that Viggo might loosen up and move the damn thing. By the amused expression on Viggo’s face apparently that was one prayer that was going to go on the rubbish heap of life. Sod it. He had been waiting for this opportunity for so long now that his groin felt as though someone had tipped molten lava over it, and quite frankly even if Viggo had shoved the entire contents of the Ann Summers catalogue up his backside he wouldn’t have cared when it came down to it.

Orlando moved eagerly to meet him, the younger man positioned on his back and lifting his hips to allow Sean a smooth entry, a grin welcoming him. The blonde’s eyes slid shut at the feel, the tight heat welcoming Sean’s body which had not even paused to wipe his metaphorical feet on the doormat. It took no time at all to be in and buried inside the younger man, Sean pausing briefly to take some well chosen gulps of air before his whole body closed down in shock. Finally. After all that time waiting and watching and hoping and praying and *aching* he was finally in a position where the word orgasm might apply to himself as well as other people.

Couldn’t hang around though. Viggo was probably timing this.

Orlando groaned aloud as Sean moved within him, his hands gripping hold of Sean’s shoulders in non-verbal encouragement. The blonde would have liked to say that he took time and caution over his lover’s pleasure, his safety, but he knew damn well those concerns went straight out the window as soon as Sean’s cock had worked out what he had been missing. On the plus side, Orli didn’t seem to mind. The younger man groaned again and thrust harder onto Sean’s length, matching his speed and determination. Sean’s hand had crept to Orli’s erection and apparently this was Viggo approved as no protests came from that end. Orlando’s moans suddenly tripled in volume, as though the vocal chords disbelieved that they would get another opportunity in this and therefore had to give as much as they possibly could before everything closed down on them again.

Sean bit down on his lip as he felt himself rapidly approach his climax, almost too quickly but hell that never killed anyone. Okay, unless your partner got so frustrated and turned to guns that was, but that was more than a little unlikely; Orli really hadn’t got anywhere to put the damn thing for a start. His fingers clenched tighter on the younger man’s skin, his teeth were beginning to make his lip complain about harsh treatment and yet he found he didn’t give a toss.

Orlando groaned underneath him, a strange mixture of whimper and demand, the younger man’s body stiffening with every moment until Sean wasn’t certain the boy hadn’t been carved from stone. One last movement of his hand and that was it for Orlando, his breathing stopping completely in a silent cry as he spilled onto his stomach and Sean’s hand, the younger man’s body clenching around the man within him just as Viggo grasped the plug once again and pulled it out smoothly, one hand braced on Sean’s left buttock to assist.

There wasn’t any question of whether Sean could survive the onslaught, only how much he could control the resulting scream as he came hard within Orlando. The answer was not much, although that was another thing that Sean realised he didn’t really give a toss about.

No, the thing he was most concerned about was the sudden hard line of the whip resting pointedly across his backside. Panting, his muscles still trembling from the shock, Sean forced himself to still, trying to ignore the fact that Orlando’s eyes had moved to look over Sean’s shoulder in order to study Viggo’s expression.

The whip traced a line from arse up his spine and then down again. Sean shivered but remained still, being the usual sensible thing to do under these situations. Could feel the leather against his heated skin, the contrast between them. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, trying to wet a mouth which had suddenly dried up to Sahara proportions in anticipation.

Viggo was silent as the grave behind him. If it wasn’t for the fact that the whip was still tracing an outline on his back Sean would have been prepared to say that the man might have fallen asleep back there. He trembled a little more as the leather continued its lazy tour of his back, every so often dipping down to trace over the rise of his buttocks presumably just in case they felt left out.

Sean waited. And waited. And when it got to the point where he could wait no further, the whip suddenly vanished from his back.

There was another period of waiting, just in case he hadn’t got utterly frustrated already. Finally something finally broke the silence, prompting something else to happen and happen *quickly*.

“ Viggo,”

Of course it had to be his *own* voice that ruined the silence. Sean wasn’t entirely sure where the word came from but it was there and hell he might as well use the fact he had completely failed in keeping to the house rules. Sean ran his tongue over his bottom lip again and tried again, only for his voice to be cut off mid syllable.

“ I didn’t ask you to talk,” A steady voice, low and slightly annoyed.

” I know,”

There was the briefest of pauses, then a snort. “ And yet you’re *still* talking,”

Sean shrugged inwardly. Yeah, a bit of a bastard that. “ I know,”

“ Do you *want* to feel this whip on you?”

Finally silence decided to enter the conversation, thick and solid as though it was trying to make up for its tardiness in timekeeping. Sean found he had no words to say. Orli was watching him thoughtfully from his position on the floor, his climax allowing the young man a few moments to sit without fidgeting.

Viggo’s voice had obtained a hint more incredulousness when it finally returned.

“ Do you?”

Silence reigned once again and had obviously called for a public holiday in support of its rule. Orli’s eyes were getting more than enough exercise flickering from Sean to Viggo and then back again, as though watching the world’s smallest tennis match. Sean struggled with an answer that was truthful and yet not about to drop him in it.

“ It doesn’t matter what I want,” he said finally. “ It’s what you want. So whatever you decide I will be happy with it,”

The silence decided to turn stunned. There was nothing more Sean wanted than to glance over his shoulder at the expression on Viggo’s face, which judging by Orlando’s startled expression had to be quite classic, but he wasn’t supposed to do that. Typical. Sitting in a room with mirrors over most surfaces and Viggo had to stand in one of the few spots Sean couldn’t keep an eye on him with.

The whip traced a new line over Sean’s shoulders idly.

“ And if I wanted to use it on you?” Viggo’s voice was thoughtful, as though running through some possibilities he hadn’t expected to land in his lap. Sean was silent, trying not to think of the immediate positive response that had entered his mind almost automatically. On the other hand, it obviously showed on his face as Orlando raised another eyebrow.

“ I see,” Viggo’s voice had gone back to neutrality, the whip sliding over Sean’s muscles, each little flick of Viggo’s wrist causing him to shiver again. “ And you appear to have made a mess of my little pet.”

Sean’s eyes moved down to assess Orli’s stomach where there was, indeed, a mess. Orli’s mouth twitched in a smile before he managed to get it back under control again, a twinkle in chocolate brown eyes. Rolling his eyes for the younger man’s benefit, Sean crouched over the other man and slowly began to lick the other man’s stomach with long, lazy licks of the tongue. Orlando shifted underneath him and moaned his approval.

“ Good,” Viggo sounded pleased, which was a novel experience. “ Hold still now,”

“ Wha-?”

The curse that immediately came to mind remained in a tightly locked place in Sean’s head as he felt Viggo line himself up and push into him in a matter of moments. Licking pausing for the foreseeable future, Sean allowed his weight to be supported a little more by his arms as the hard length buried itself deep within him, seeking out places that the plug hadn’t quite managed to reach like a perverted version of Star Trek.

“ I’m very impressed,” Viggo leant over Sean’s back and breathed the words in his ear. “ Shall we see how long your legs will last for?”

Sean hadn’t entirely heard the statement, his mind too busy coping with the sudden invasion. Viggo lazily rotated his hips as though he had all the time in the world, then pulled out again lazily. New game, old rules. The blonde adjusted his position to allow his hands and arms to take more of the strain, and waited for the next thrust. This of course didn’t take too long; now that Sean had been breached once, Viggo apparently was more than happy to let loose a barrage of thrusts that the younger man had to fight against in order not to end up flattened over Orlando.

He always forgot the sheer power that Viggo held within him until it was happily pounding him, and even then he was certain he wasn’t appreciating it enough. Even now, he sensed the older man was holding back on him, despite his growls and his roughness that wasn’t quite rough *enough*.

Yep, he really needed a shrink right about now. Well, possibly a little later, there wasn’t enough room.

“ Come on then,” he growled over his shoulder, and even he could hear the amusement in his voice. Orli raised an eyebrow. Even Viggo’s thrusts stopped briefly as the other man had to work out this new addition to his mental set up, although these were back in force in a very short time indeed. Sean groaned and lowered his head, rocking his hips back onto each thrust that sank into him trying to encourage him deeper and all but giving him the mining rights to do so.

He was going to do this, without fuss, without drama, without anything that anyone could possibly find insulting or problematic and-

“ HOLY FUCK!!”

Okay, so the whole Orlando situation should have been calculated into this mental picture a little earlier on. The younger man had slid a little further down and had grasped hold of Sean’s erection very firmly in one hand, stroking him in a way that was almost indecent – well, it *was* indecent, but this seemed even worse than their bog standard ones – and ruining any hopes Sean had for lasting a suitable time period without ruining Orlando’s stomach again.

Viggo thrust deeper, his cock still hard and firm within him, occasionally brushing over the bundle of nerves that only served to make Sean twitch even more and suddenly he was accompanied by his little sidekick, the Boy Wonder, whose hands slid up and down the blonde’s length before sliding it further between Sean’s legs to fondle him there.

The house rules were going to be found and a new rule inserted: no tag teams by order of the man whose mind was pretty much likely to explode, if nothing more than for cleaning practicalities.

Speaking of insertions, Sean couldn’t ignore the fact that Viggo’s speed had increased, the other man’s breathing hard and fast in his ear. The blonde was certain he could feel Viggo trembling against him, hands gripping his hip hard in a particularly familiar way. Orli had obviously noticed the change, his hand getting more and more insistent.

Fuck… fuck…. fuck….

Breathe. Gather thoughts. Remain calm, or as calm as you could get when you had someone of Viggo’s size about to plunge directly into-

SHIT!

And there was a direct hit on Sean’s battleship, or at least the current centre of his universe. Pleasure burst through him, seemingly tripling the pleasure from Orli’s ministrations and suddenly he was clenching harder around Viggo as the blonde came with a strangled cry into Orlando’s waiting palm, barely hearing the hissed response from Viggo behind him as Sean’s orgasm sparked off the other man’s.

And …. *relax*. Sated, sore, exhausted, body screaming at him for attempting something he shouldn’t have even tried when he was twenty, Sean stopped himself from collapsing onto Orlando by the barest of margins. Sweat was pouring off him, his breathing so ragged he could officially his lungs a scrapbook, Sean’s limbs trembling as they attempted to hold him up against all the odds.

Thankfully the other two seemed to be aware how close they were to total power failure; Viggo had already withdrawn with a pleased slap on Sean’s upturned rear, and Orlando wriggled out from underneath him with as much dignity someone in that position could find. Sean himself thought that dignity could go have a flying fuck; collapsing onto the floor, he gave a satisfied sleepy groan and prayed neither of them were going to get him back up again for the next five minutes at least.

There was a pause.

“ Think you killed him,” Viggo commented towards Orlando.

” Me??” the younger man squeaked back. “ I wasn’t the one doing the exploration!”

” You criticizing my game plan?” low, dangerous, and obviously amused. There was a little meep from the younger man; a little noise of shuffling reached Sean’s ears. There was an amused snort of laughter from Viggo, Sean suddenly jumping as a hand reached down and slid over the smoothness of his right buttock.

The right buttock which *still* had no mark on it, as smooth as when he was born. Okay, that was an exaggeration but fuck, he was getting desperate here. A bit of creative exaggeration wasn’t going to kill anyone. Viggo’s hand drifted across Sean’s skin a little further, as though assessing the quality of the pelt.

There was a silence.

” Am I yours now?” Sean said softly, not opening his eyes, happy with his face full of carpet which was providing comfort and possibly ruining the moment by making his words all muffled. Viggo snorted sadly.

“ You were always mine, Sean. You just wouldn’t accept it,”

God, and if they got any cheesier they would have Wallace and Gromit after them to spread it onto crackers. And the worst part of it all was that he needed to hear it. Needed to know that this was right, that this wasn’t just emotions running high and making all sorts of promises that their hearts couldn’t honour. And more the fucking point, needed to feel that knife on his skin.

“ Will you mark me?”

Dead silence. Now, that shouldn’t be happening, surely? He knew what he wanted, could feel the relief in his heart and mind simply by putting volume to the words he had been saying for so long he had lost track. And yet the other side wasn’t talking.

Sean found some energy which had obviously been stored in his big toe for the past two hours and pushed himself up, looking back over his shoulder at the older man who was still touching him as though he had forgotten where his hand was. There was a distant look in his eyes, a look of … pain? Great. Their lives were obviously like those annoying games you got at fairs where you had to avoid the wire to get to the end of the damn thing; one touch at the side, the buzzer rang and you were shoved straight back to the beginning again.

” Viggo?”

There was a pause in which the only sound Sean could hear was the steady beating of his own heart. And suddenly he realised exactly what the issue was; this was another one of Orlando’s little suggestions, not Viggo’s. The knife was by order of the Bloom, and obviously Viggo wasn’t as keen on knife play as Orlando was.

” It’s okay,” Sean said softly, seeing Orli move towards Viggo out of the corner of his eye. “ I want this. I want *you*. I want to feel you, and keep feeling you for the next lifetime. Please.”

Orlando had reached him and was sliding his hand up Viggo’s arm and still that grey blue gaze was looking at Sean as though reaching into his soul and thumbing through the index.

*Come on. Trust me. Do it.*

“ I love you. I love him,” Sean said simply, giving a little nod towards Orlando before looking back. “ You won’t hurt me, Viggo, I promise you.”

Well, not in any way that wasn’t intended anyway, and he could see the indecision in Viggo’s eyes flicker as he looked back at him. It was several heartbeats later that finally the smile came, an upturn of the corner of his mouth as he stared back, openly displaying the humour and friendship that Sean remembered for so long that it took all Sean’s strength not to grin back.

It was Viggo in there and they were going to be alright.

And just as quickly Viggo stepped back into his role, the mask easily moving back in place as the spell was broken; the older man waved a hand towards the same low table that he had tied Orlando all that time ago, and moved back towards his favourite drawer presumably for supplies.

“ You getting on that table or am I going to have to get rough on your arse?” Low. Dangerous. Aggressive. And definitely not going to do anything that Sean didn’t want to do, he knew it already.

Sod the thinking, he had a part to play in this and the script for the first time in his life was properly becoming clear, so clear that he could even see the page numbers and the breaks for advertisements. He watched Viggo pull out the knife and examine the blade carefully, a little flash of light shining in the room as it caught the overhead lamps. He saw the table in front of him. He saw Orlando’s expression on him, a grin that obviously the younger man hadn’t even bothered to hide, knowing whatever he did would fail.

This was it. Last words were being said, the last meal had been digested, and the world waited to see whether he could finally do something he really wanted to do.

The last step before possession.

Sean met Viggo’s eyes one last time to smile gently before moving to lie down on the table to await the blade.

It was time.

END