Life or Something like It

NEW CHAPTER UPDATED 12/13/04!!!!!

Chapter 6 On the Set


Yawning, Orlando looked at the wall clock for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last thirty minuets. He was so bored, standing still while the costume girl worked on fitting his costume. Really, what could possibly be so hard about a pair of pants, a shirt, a vest and some socks and a stupid pair of shoes? Yet the costume girl continued to measure him everywhere, pinning and tucking as she went making everything just so. Groaning, Orlando glanced sideways to where Johnny was standing having pretty much the same thing done to him, although for Johnny the girl was only on his first layer out of many for his Jack Sparrow costume. Giving Johnny a small smile, he was immediately answered by a roll of the eyes from the older man. Johnny had at least thought to bring a disc man with him, so the older actor was able to listen to something while the boring task was accomplished.

Just as Orlando thought that he would fall over from having to stand up without being able to move for so long, the costume girl stood and stepped back.

“Okay Mr. Bloom” “Orlando.” Orlando cut in… Looking up startled the costume girl replied, “What?” “My name’s Orlando…not Mr. Bloom that just sounds too old.” “Oh right, Orlando…we’re all finished here you can go change now but be careful not to pull out any of the pins when you pull off the costume otherwise we’ll have to do this again.”

Nodding, Orlando jumped down off the stool that he’d been standing on, turning towards the girl again, Orlando extended a hand, “I don’t think that I caught your name?” “Oh right of course, I’m Tiffany. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Blo… Orlando.” “You as well Tiffany.” With that said Orlando nodded to Johnny before rushing to go change out of his costume. Making sure as Tiffany told him, to be extremely careful, not to pull out any of the pins. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped in the hot trailer for another minute. Pulling on his shorts and t-shirt felt like heaven to him. Carefully picking up his Will Turner Costume, Orlando headed back into the main section of the trailer and handed Tiffany his costume. Giving Johnny a sympathetic smile, Orlando dashed out the door, not waiting to find out if Tiffany found any pins pulled out.


Hearing his stomach rumble, Orlando headed towards the food tent. Grabbing a bowl of some fruit salad, he then headed back outside the find a shady place to sit and relax for a little while. Sitting down in the grass under a palm, Orlando leaned back and closed his eyes, content to just take a breath and release the tension that had been building in his stomach all morning long, about having his secret let out. As it were, he was amazed that Tiffany hadn’t said anything. He knew that there was no way that she hadn’t seen the scars at least those under his arms. Yet, if she had she hadn’t said anything and for that he was extremely grateful.

Voices stirred around him, startling him out of his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he saw it was just Keria and Jack running lines. Smiling, he waved at them before digging into his bowl of fruit. Returning his smile, both Jack and Keria headed over to him.

“Hey Orlando, how is your morning going?” Keria questioned

“It’s alright, just spent the last hour in costumes as they fitted my costume. Johnny is still in there.”

“Yeah I did that yesterday while you boys where playing with swords. I swear at least you have just one outfit. I on the other hand was in there for hours as they fitted me in three different dresses. And two sets of old fashion under clothes. I swear, I would have been a pirate if I had lived in those times, just so I wouldn’t have had to wear dresses like those. They are so uncomfortable.” Keria steamed

“Yeah well, complain all you like, but neither of you have to wear a wig, like pretty much all of the rest of us have to.” Jack added in

“Oh come on Jack, I pretty much lived in a long blonde wig, while filming Rings. Wigs aren’t that bad.” Orlando added, eating another piece of fruit.

“Yeah well you keep telling yourself that. I on the other hand am going to go crazy. The thing itches and is so hot, especially in this climate.” Jack added

Rolling her eyes, Keria smiled at Orlando. “The dresses are worse I bet you ten to one.”

The trio continued to talk, each complaining about one thing or another for a little while longer before, both Keria and Jack had to go run through a scene. Waving them off, Orlando closed his eyes again, going back to the peacefulness that he’d managed to find on the busy set. After a while, even managed to drop of for a few winks of sleep.

A hand on his shoulder startled him awhile later, opening his eyes Orlando smiled. The dark depths of Johnny gorgeous eyes danced above him for the second time that day. The depths caused his mind to drift back to earlier that morning. When Johnny had woken him after finding him sound asleep on the couch in the hotel room,

“Earth to Bloom…come in commander Skywalker…. I found him.”

“What?”

“Ah nothing…. Where have you been Bloom I’ve been searching for you everywhere? Gore is starting to breath fire; he wants us to run some lines…so we can start rehearsing shots soon. We’ve got a movie to make after all, it’s not a vacation…now no more sleeping the days away…” Johnny turned to go but stopped turning back to Orlando, Johnny smiled a wicked smile…”Oh by the way TIFFFANNNY told me to tell you that you’re needed in the costume trailer…seems that you pulled out some of your pins. So when we’re done with Gore you need to go talk to her.”

Groaning Orlando stood up, threw away the container his fruit salad had come in before following Johnny. “Depp you’re kidding right?” “Johnny lad…. and no…I’m not.”

*****************

“My father was not a pirate!”

“Put it away son, it’s not worth getting beat again.”

“You didn’t beat me…you ignored the rules of engagement in a fair fight I’d kill you.”

“Well that’s not much reason to fight fairly now is it?”

“Alright guys…sounds real good. Well that’s a wrap for the day…. Go see Annett; she’s get you two set up with a condo or townhouse. Ah Johnny when you’re through with that…I’d like to talk to you for a moment. And Orlando I believe the costume trailer needs to see you again.”

Groaning Orlando shot a look towards Johnny and Gore…before turning on his heels and heading like a condemned man towards the costume trailer.

“Have a nice time honey…but please do us a favor…stop acting like a soap opera! And oh hey BLOOM…. say hi to Tiffany for me!” Johnny chuckled at the dark look Orlando turned on him before continuing on his way.

“What did you need to see me about?” Johnny questioned Gore….

“Well…now don’t get me wrong here…Johnny I think what you doing with the character is good…it’s just it’s maybe a little too realistic for a Disney movie. The Producers are starting to question me, after just seeing you run lines…if you intend to make Jack Sparrow out to be gayish?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Just try to cool it down a little bit…Johnny this is after all a children’s movie…”

“Look Gore…I don’t play fake characters…I took this movie because Jack Sparrow is a character that I can believe in…Look you said your self that I was the actor that you wanted for this part…have you changed you’re mind on that?” Johnny questioned, his blood beginning to boil NO ONE FIRED JOHNNY DEPP!!!!

“Whoa hold on Johnny…that’s not what I’m trying to say you are the actor that I want for this part…but we are going to need for you to cool it down a little bit…and maybe take out some of the good teeth…”

“Look, just go with me on this… I’ll deliver a Jack Sparrow you can be proud of. And if hey, you still don’t like what I’m doing…then …I’ll move on.”

“No Johnny…you’re not being fired… and I don’t want you to go…. I just wanted to let you know that you need to watch your back…. when the Disney reps are here…and tone it down just a little.”

“Yeah whatever.” Turning Johnny didn’t wait for a response from Gore…he had just barely managed to keep his cool back there…and he knew that if he stayed around much longer his cool would melt and he’d land himself in trouble. Tone it down…like hell he would…Jack Sparrow was his character…a character that he was supposed to become…things were going to get interesting…Johnny would make sure of that.

***********

“Okay all set Orlando; your costume will be ready in the morning. Make sure you come by then…so we can alter anything that doesn’t look right.” Tiffany concluded handing him his bag.

“Okay sounds good, Good Night Tiffany…”

“Oh Orlando….”

“Yes?”

“No never mind it’s nothing…”

“What???”

“Well I was wondering if you’d autograph this picture for me?”

Breaking into a smile, Orlando nodded, “Of course I’ll autograph the picture for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…I’d be honored.”

Digging into her briefcase she pulled out a picture and handed it to Orlando. Smiling Orlando took it, but the smile didn’t last…as he glanced down at the picture he held in his hand, it felt as though a rock had smashed into his stomach. The picture was of the red carpet…. at the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring. In the middle of the picture…Orlando stood with his arm wrapped around Viggo’s shoulder, a look of pure love on his face as he stood next to the man. Orlando remembered the moment as though it had been yesterday, the elf and the Ranger best friends to the end.

“My cousin took this picture, she said kept telling me that the Ranger and the Elf were best friends in the movie so they must be in real life as well. And sure enough, the picture does not lie…you two were friends weren’t you?” Tiffany babbled on not noticing the difference in Orlando.

Swallowing hard, it wouldn’t do for him to crack. Orlando signed the picture and handed it back to Tiffany…

“We where friends once upon a time…”

“What does that mean?”

Picking up his stuff again, Orlando headed for the door… “Things are different now.”

Johnny chose that exact moment to open the door into the trailer, keys to Orlando’s townhouse in his hand. Orlando’s words and the tone in which he said then stopping him in his tracks, his own anger melting away as he felt the loneliness pouring off his younger co-star.

Without even so much as an excuse me, Orlando pushed his way through the door past Johnny heading off into the darkening night. Totally dumb founded, Johnny sent a look at Tiffany before racing off after Orlando.

Johnny found Orlando not far…sitting on a rock his shoulders hunched shaking with muffled sobs as he tried to stop the unwanted tears. He hadn’t meant to break, back in the costume trailer…he had thought that he could deal with seeing Viggo’s face without going all to pieces…obviously he had been wrong.

Laying a warm hand on Orlando’s shoulder, Johnny wordlessly handed him a key ring. Reaching up, just as silently Orlando took the offered key, wiping the tears from his eyes, he stood and followed Johnny back to where they had left the older man’s car that morning. Climbing into the passengers set, Orlando took a deep breath as Johnny slid into the drivers seat.

“You ready to go have some fun…Bloom? You look like you might be able to use it…I know I could use some time to cool down myself.”

Raising red rimmed questioning eyes on Johnny, Orlando asked. “Why what happened to you?”

“Oh nothing special really…just got chewed out by Gore about my Jack Sparrow character.”
“Why…we haven’t even started yet…what could you possibly be doing to the character all ready?”

“Too Many Gold Teeth…”

“Pirates had Gold Teeth…what’s the problem with that…at least you didn’t go get your teeth to rot and have six of them pulled.”

“Yeah well if I’d have done that I just might have gotten fired.”

“They threatened to fire you?”

“No, Gore said that he stuck up for me…but he wants me to tone down Jack Sparrow…make him fake…I HATE FAKE CHARACTERS…. about as much as I hate fake people.”

Wincing Orlando, felt as though his gut had been punched again.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, you have nothing to be sorry for Bloom.” Johnny smiled at the younger man…”Now what do you say we go have some fun?”

“Sounds good to me. But lets move into our places first…that way we can stay out as late as we like.”

“Yeah okay I guess fun can wait for a while.”

************

When Johnny picked Orlando up from his townhouse two hours later, Orlando was back to his happy go lucky self that he was most of the time. Dressed in a pair of jeans, and a lilac silk shirt, the kid looked to hansom of his own good. Looking down at his own state of dress Johnny smiled, he himself was also wearing jeans, though his shirt was a white flowing shirt that looked as though he’d taking it right off the back off a noble men, back in the medieval times, complete with his trusty pair of black army boots.

“Hey Bloom, Looking Good!”

“You’re not looking so bad your self Depp.”

“Hey I told you the names Johnny.”

“Well why should I call you Johnny when you don’t call me Orlando? Maybe I should call you Tommy Hanson instead, what do you think of that???”

“I don’t…Legolas.”

“I’ve got a longer list to choose from, Edward.”

“That’s right you do…and since the only movie that I have ever seen you in was Lord of the Rings…I’m not about to win this argument. So I’ll call you Orlando if you want. Hell you can call me Depp if you want…Just please don’t call me Tommy Hanson…Or Edward…Or Donnie Brasco…Or Cry Baby Walker or any name of any of my other characters okay?”

“Cry Baby Walker???? Where the hell does that come from?”

“Look, just forget it okay, Orlando?”

“Johnny, the names Bloom.”

Smiling at Johnny’s dropped open mouth, Orlando was suddenly hit with the urge to lean over and kiss it. Halting himself before he made an idiot of himself, Orlando reached over and pushed Johnny’s lower jaw back up. Swallowing the strange urge, hard.

“Okay well now that that’s settled, what do you say we get going?”

“Sounds good to me…”

Putting the car into gear, Johnny backed out of the driveway. Heading into town, Johnny pulled his car to a stop outside a brick building, the sign above the door reading The Lagoon. Pulling into a parking spot, Johnny jumped out of his car, followed shortly by Orlando.

“Lets go have some fun…and try to forget this afternoon…you ready?”

“Yeah…lets go,” Orlando answered

Entering into the bar, Orlando was met with a dark room, with a multitude of neon lights flashing on and off about the room. People were dancing around on the dance floor below the DJ and the stage. Struck by how much the place resembled the clubs that he went to back in Canterbury he glanced at Johnny…it really wasn’t the type of place that he had pictured the older man frequenting. Leading Orlando over to the bar, Johnny order them some kind of tropical drinks, before taking a seat at the bar. Orlando immediately following suit, spying some of the other actor and actresses around the room, Orlando waved them over. And soon most of the cast of Pirates were sitting around the bar, becoming three sheets to the wind.

Seeing Keria approaching, Johnny groaned…in his inebriated state…he knew that he might just do something stupid. Sensing Johnny’s growing unease, Orlando stood and began making his way over to Keria. Snagging her about half way across the room he pulled her towards the dance floor. Johnny watched them from the table where he and several others still sat; they’re too close…Whoa where did that come from…. pull it together Depp…they can dance close if they want to…it’s none of my business. Standing Johnny excused himself from the group and headed to the men’s room, running cold water over his hands, he splashed himself in the face…trying to cool off. Looking up at the mirror he was startled what he saw…the green-eyed monster stared him in the face. Shaking his head, he pulled away from the mirror and exited the bathroom. Looking around the dance floor his eyes landed on Orlando and Keria still dancing. So he headed back towards the bar to get another drink.

On the dance floor Orlando and Keria’s bodies moved as though they where one, swaying with the music with only the smallest sliver of space between theirs chests. Orlando’s arms where wrapped around Keria’s shoulders, and Keria’s around his back. Although about half way through the song, her hands started to slide down his back inching their way towards his backside, and sure enough just as the song was coming to an end, her hands found their mark, cupping his butt cheeks with her palms.

Jumping at her actions, Orlando pushed Keria back off of him “What do you think you’re doing Keria?” “Oh come on Orlando we both know that you wanted me to do that!”

“Where the hell did you get that from?”

“No one dances the way that we were dancing if they aren’t suspecting to get some kind of action!”

“I was just trying to have some fun…get my mind off of some things.”

“Right.”

“I was…god girls back home don’t take friendliness and close dancing to be some kind of invitation…what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Oh come on…don’t be such a goody, goody…if you want some action…that’s okay…I’ll be more then willing to give you some.”

“No.”

Pushing away from Keria, Orlando went in search for Johnny…he couldn’t believe that Keria thought that he was making a move on her…not that she wasn’t pretty…she was…but there were other problems in the works…Going up to the bar, next to Johnny he looked at the older man, Johnny’s eyes were questioning deep within their depths. Slapping his hand down on the bar, Orlando shouted, “Shot of tequila!”

When the salt and lime where handed to him, Orlando pushed them away and picked up the shot glass knocking it back. Slamming the shot glass down, he shouted, “Double shot tequila” again as the shot was brought to him, he knocked it back, placing money for the two shots on the bar, he turned to Johnny.

“You bout ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah, lets go…but first…. bartender…I need two bottles of your finest spiced rum.” Handing Johnny two bottles of Captain Morgan’s private Stock Spiced Rum, the bar tender continued, “That will be sixty.” Nodding Johnny handed the man two hundreds, “That should cover the tab, the bottles and a tip…keep the change.”

Handing one of the bottles to Orlando, Johnny hurried him out the door and out onto the beach. Popping open his bottle, Johnny took a long pull from the bottle. “Why did you pay for everyone’s drinks?” “Lad…why not…I’ve got the money to do it…might as well throw some of it around.” “Whatever…” Opening his own bottle Orlando took a gulp and followed Johnny down the beach towards the waters edge.

********************

The next thing Orlando knew he was waking up on the beach, beside him lay his empty bottle of Spiced Rum. His head felt like a ton of bricks and his stomach as through a hyper active whale was swimming around doing flips inside of it. Turning his head, he glanced about for Johnny. Spying Johnny a ways off, still drinking out of his bottle seemed lost in thought as he stared up into the sky. His right hand unconsciously stroking his left wrist, as though he where following an ancient path across his forearm.

Pushing himself to his hands and knees Orlando crawled down the beach the six feet to where Johnny was sitting, before collapsing by his feet. “ohny…wh…at.. cha…oing?”
“Watching the stars.” Reaching out, Johnny ruffled Orlando’s hair “How’re you doing Bloom?” “I…wa…nt…to…go…ome.” “Okay let’s go then.” Standing to his feet, Johnny hauled Orlando to his, and began leading them to his car.

TBC>>>>>>

A/N: Alright…. it sucks I know…but lets face it my muse has run far, far, far away and has gotten lost trying to come home…But don’t you worry…as soon as we all manage to suffer through the next chapter maybe two we’ll be good because I already have the following part written. Well anyways…go review…tell me whatever just go do it! J The next one should be up hopefully in the next couple of days. You’ll just have to reread this one and the other chapters in the story until then to stay satisfied. NOW GO REVIEW IF YOU WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!! The sooner we get these out of the way the sooner we can move on in the story! –The author has spoken.