Birthday Blues

Dedicatd to Lahja as a (late) birthday present!

Disclaimer: Not mine, not true, all made up!


Birthday Blues


“Karl? Why are you cuddling a bottle?”
“Coz I luv it.”
“That bottle’s empty, Karl.”
“Wha?”
“The bottle. Empty.”
“Empty?”
“Yes Karl, empty. What the fuck is the matter with you?”
“Gah! Empty… silly vodka!”
With determination Karl threw the bottle to the floor and wrapped his arms around himself.
“Karl? Did you drink the whole bottle of vodka?”
“Didna. Jus’ a lil dizzy.”
“You did drink the whole bottle.”
“Nah, didna.” Karl scrambled awkwardly to his feet, almost falling of the sofa in the process.
Harry sighed. “We have to be at the set in less than two hours.”
“Do not. Don’t wanna. Don’t want anything any more.” Karl stumbled forward, only to sway and fall limply into Harry’s arms. The older man carefully grabbed hold of Karl and led him to the bathroom.
“You, my friend, need a shower. A cold one.”
“Nah.” Karl struggled a bit but only succeeded in almost tripping both of them over, “Don’t wanna shower. Wanna sleep. Forever would be best.”
“No I don’t think so.” Determinedly Harry hauled Karl through the room and maneuvered him into the shower.
“You know,” Karl babbled on as Harry tried to undress him, “Have you ever reached that point in your life when you just look into the mirror and say to yourself ‘this is the best I’ll ever look, this is the best I’ve ever done and somehow it ain’t that good’? Well, I have. And I don’t like it.”
With a resigned sigh Harry decided to leave Karl’s boxers on and shoved his friend further into the cabin. Holding Karl down with one hand, he turned on the water.

~ ~ ~

“Karl? Please come out of there?” Harry begged, glancing nervously at his wrist watch. Only slightly more than an hour left.
“No! Will not! It’s cold! You made it cold!”
“I had to! Now come out of there!”
“No!”
“Don’t make me come and get you!”
“You won’t,” Karl mumbled, refusing to look at Harry, “You’re not my friend anyway. You don’t like me. You just wanna see me suffer… freeze to death… I don’t like you either!” Karl’s voice had risen in volume during his speech and the last words were almost screamed as he brought his fist down against the wall. “Ouch…”
Harry rolled his eyes exasperatedly.
“Oh yes, you will.” He growled finally and pulled Karl out of the cabin, “I will get you dry, clothed and to the set in time. I’m not going to let you lose your job after I got it for you.” A grim smile curved his lips as he looked into Karl’s wide, staring eyes.
“But I wanna…” Karl mumbled, leaning heavily against Harry, water dripping from his hair and into Harry’s shirt, “Losing’s all I’m good at… I never do anything else…”
“We can discuss this when you’re sober again.” Harry decided and glared menacingly at Karl, “Are you going to cooperate or do I have to make you?”
“Not coming…” Karl babbled stubbornly and tried to glare at Harry but decided that it was too exhausting.
“Okay,” Harry sighed, “You had your chance!”
Frowning he grabbed Karl and somehow managed to haul the other man onto his shoulder, staggering under Karl’s weight as he carried him through the slippery room.
“Don’t wanna.” Karl repeated, not even putting up a fight as the older man carefully dried him with a big towel.
“I still have to get you out of these boxers,” Harry mumbled to himself with another glance at his watch. He sighed again, making a decision.

~ ~ ~

“PJ? Yeah, it’s me, Harry,” he whispered into the receiver, trying to make his voice sound like Gollum with a severe bad throat, “I just wanted to tell you that I won’t be on set today… I’m ill…”
“Ill?” the voice on the other end of the line repeated, “Why are you calling from Karl’s place then?”
Harry winced. Caller ID.
“I visited him yesterday, I wasn’t feeling well then and so I stayed,” he crossed his fingers, hoping that PJ would not detect the lie, “He’s taking care of me.”
“Meaning?”
Harry winced again. “He won’t be coming, either?”
“Very well,” Peter grumbled, sounding as though he would like to crawl through the telephone and strange Harry with the cord, “You’ve got three days. The earlier I see you again, the better.”
“Yes, Sir!” tension left Harry’s body as he put the phone down and glared at the still damp figure snoring on the couch.
“What the fuck am I to do with you?”

~ ~ ~

Karl grumbled as he woke again, blinking slowly a few times to shake off the dizziness.
“Welcome back to the world of the living,” a dry voice drawled.
“Harry?” Karl frowned, staring at the older man in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Taking care of certain drunk idiots,” Harry said, pouring himself a scotch and soda from Karl’s bar, “By the way, you’re stuck with me for the next three days.”
“What?” Karl stared incredulously at Harry, convinced that he was still in some sort of drunken delirium. Harry gulped the drink down in one draught.
“But… we’ve got to work!” Karl protested, groaning as he saw the clock, “Oh no!”
“Oh yes!” Harry imitated him perfectly, “Don’t worry, I called PJ. As far as the rest of the world is concerned I am ill and you are taking care of me.”
“What?” Karl scrambled to his feet, grabbing the sofa for support as the room spun around him.
“Karl?” Harry asked, at once steadying his friend, “Are you feeling well?”
“No… “ Karl tried to shake his head but decided against it, “Somehow I don’t think so.. or at least my stomach doesn’t…”
“No wonder,” Harry snorted, pushing Karl back onto the sofa, “You were out cold for almost three hours. You’re still drunk.”
“No,” Karl corrected, eyeing Harry’s empty glass, “But from the look of it you were trying to catch up with me while I slept.”
“I just had a drink or two,” Harry shrugged, “Nothing worth mentioning. So what’s the problem?” he sat down next to Karl.
“Problem?” Karl frowned, “Why do you think there is a problem?”
“You’re a talkative drunk.”
“Oh, that,” Harry mumbled, casting longing looks towards the bottle of scotch, “It’s nothing.”
“And what exactly is that nothing?”
“Tomorrow’s June, 7th.”
“Yes but…,” Harry started, “Oh… it’s your birthday…”

~ ~ ~

“You know,” Karl sighed, slumping back against the tree, “I hate birthdays… they always make me depressive.”
“I noticed,” Harry replied dryly, staring up into the sky. The first stars had risen long ago and the two men had been sitting in the garden since twilight, sheltered beneath the branches of an old weeping willow.
“I mean,” Karl continued, “It’s not as if I’m really getting a year older, it’s just another single, fucking day…”
“I know, I know,” Harry smiled, affectionately patting Karl’s shoulder.
“They’ll be planning all sorts of evil presents and hideous surprise parties.”
The Hobbits? Surely. But not this year. PJ gave us three days off, remember?” He added as Karl stared blankly at him.
“Oh right,” Karl grabbed the vodka bottle they had brought out with them, “No surprise parties then,” he sighed, sounding more annoyed than relieved, “The worst thing is that I think I’m going to actually miss their stupid antics.”
Harry glanced at his watch, squinting to make out the time in the pale moonlight. “It’s after twelve,” he announced with a grin, “Happy birthday, Karl!”
“Thanks,” Karl grumbled, “And you did not even bring a present…”
“Let me think…” Harry grinned, “I did bring one!”
Karl lifted an eyebrow, pretending to glare at the older man, “And what could that be? You arrived with empty hands…”
“This..” Harry grinned, mischievously holding Karl’s gaze captive.
Karl’s breath caught in his throat as firm lips suddenly pressed against his, sensually moving and demanding entrance.
“Karl…” Harry’s moan mad him gasp and the other man’s tongue delved into his mouth, circling and teasing his in a slow and sensuous rhythm.
“Harry…” he whispered into the blond’s mouth, tangling his hands in the other man’s hair to draw him closer, “Need you…”
Harry’s mouth seemed fused to him as he was pushed onto the ground and straddled. Harry pulled Karl’s shirt out of the way, struggling a little bit with his own, but finally succeeding.
His hands roamed Karl’s chest while his mouth sought out hardened nipples, suckling and gently biting the tender flesh. Karl bucked into the touch, craving the contact and desperate for more.
“Harry…” he moaned as he felt the older man’s arousal through the fabric of his jeans. Quickly they wriggled out of their trousers, trying not to let go of each other. Warm lips met again, both men struggling for control over the kiss till both of them were panting for breath. Desperate hands explored heated skin as their passion mounted, whimpered moans being the only sounds made.
Karl’s head was swimming with sensation as Harry moved over him, pressing himself against every inch of the younger man’s body.
“Harry…” he moaned, weakly protesting as the blond drew back, “We’ve got no lube…”
“Fuck lube,” Harry growled, frantically kissing Karl’s chin and jaw.
“Harry…” Karl repeated as the older man kissed a trail over his chest, down towards his abdomen and finally licking along the length of Karl’s hardened flesh, lapping up the few silvery drops of pre-ejaculate.
“Need you…” Karl whispered as a warm, moist mouth closed around him and a feline tongue teased his need, driving him closer and closer to the edge. He thrust wildly, desperate to feel more of Harry but unable to last any longer. With a final grown he came, whimpering as the blond swallowed his seed, sucking him dry and then proceeding to lick him clean.
Karl stared in wonder at the man kneeling over him.
“I think I like the way you look spent and purring,” Harry grinned, leaning down to kiss Karl again.

~ ~ ~

“Harry?” Karl mumbled sleepily.
“Yes, hon?” Harry nuzzled Karl’s neck, grinning as he noticed that the younger man was gazing up into the sky again.
“We have to do that again sometime.”
“As you wish,” Harry rested his chin on Karl’s shoulder, “It’s your birthday after all.”
“We should go inside.”
“No,” Harry mumbled, “We should go to sleep.”
“We’re lying naked in my garden!” Karl protested, almost squealing.
“Great, isn’t it?” Harry kissed the crown of Karl’s head, “Happy birthday, dear.”