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Orlando could feel eyes on him and it made sword practice bloody difficult to concentrate on. Mainly when he knew a pair of those watchful eyes belonged to Elijah, because Dom and he had wanted to watch Orlando in "kick ass elf mode". The training tent was empty at that time except for the two hobbits, Orlando, Viggo (his training partner for the day) and a few people who were arranging the training equipment in a corner.
He tried very hard, really hard, not to turn his head in the direction of where Elijah and Dom stood because he needed to focus. So, of course, his head disobeyed him and turned a little in the middle of the routine - and what the hell was he thinking? - and, as soon as his eyes met Elijah's, he felt excruciating pain on his left hand knuckles where Viggo's wood sword hit him.
"Ow! Bloody hell!" Orlando hissed as he dropped his swords and cradled his hand against his stomach.
"Orlando? Oh, God, I'm sorry!" he heard Viggo's voice become louder as the man approached him. Then Viggo's hands were on his shoulders trying to straighten him up.
"It's, it's OK, really," Orlando said and let out a whimper when he tried to move his hand.
"Let me take a look, c'mon," Viggo said, in that warm, comforting tone he was a master at, while taking Orlando's injured hand gingerly in his. He slowly moved all of Orlando's fingers (while Orlando bit his lip not to let it be known how much they hurt) before asking someone nearby for a bag of ice, which was almost instantly placed in Viggo's hand, "This is gonna hurt a little but it'll help until you get someone to look at your hand. I'm so sorry, Orli," Viggo said and Orlando smiled at the concerned and apologetic look in the man's beautiful blue eyes.
"Don't worry about it. It was my fault, really. I got distracted and missed my cue in the choreography."
"Hey!" Dom's chipper voice echoed a bit as he and Elijah approached them, "You guys are supposed to hurt big bad ugly creatures, not each other!" he finished with a stupid grin.
"Brat," Viggo said without much heat, smiling in Dom's direction.
"You OK, Orli?" Elijah asked with a sweet smile on his face.
"Yeah," Orlando replied vaguely because, really, no one could expect him to string full sentences when that smile was directed at him.
"Limp-wristed git," Dom teased.
"Bloody cunt," Orlando replied, with a bit more heat than necessary for a joke. It wasn't really Dom's fault that seeing his hand linked with Elijah's reduced Orlando to a mass of jealousy and pettiness.
"Hmm... is there anything you'd like to, y'know, share with us?" Dominic asked smiling, apparently dismissing Orlando's tone.
"Yeah. We're all for sharing thoughts and feelings and stuff," Elijah completed, with a full-on dorky grin on his face, and it took a few seconds for Orlando to realize that Viggo's hands were still stroking his and holding the ice bag in place. Instead of withdrawing his hand from Viggo's grip though, Orlando just brought it out of the others' sight, bringing one of Viggo's hands along. He tightened his grip on Viggo's hand, even though it caused his knuckles to throb like crazy, hoping the older man would go along as he started with a hesitant, "Well, umm, we..."
"We're sorta together, y'know?" Viggo completed, putting his free arm around Orlando and pulling him against his chest, resting his chin on Orlando's shoulder, their linked hands between them.
"That's so cool!" Elijah's enthusiastic response was accompanied with a twinkle in his eyes and the goofiest grin.
"Congrats, mates!" Dom joined in and Orlando thought he could see relief taking over Dom's face and smile. Or he could have imagined it too.
"Thanks," Viggo replied as Orlando forced a smile on his face and tightened the grip on Viggo's hand. Viggo's arm around his chest tightened the tiniest bit as he caressed Orlando's bruised knuckles with his thumb, trying to ease the numbing grip his hand was caught in.
"You and Billy owe me five beers! Each!" Elijah exclaimed as he turned his gaze to Dom, who grumbled but smile a little at Elijah.
"You guys bet on... on me and Vig... getting together?" Orlando asked, feeling a mix of amusement, resentment, hurt and betrayal take over his body, making it hard to breathe.
"Nah, just on when you'd get your heads outta your arseholes and make it public. Took you bloody long, too!" Dom answered indignantly, glaring at his gloating boyfriend.
"Yeah... yeah, I guess we did," Orlando replied softly as all tension left his body and resignation took its place.
"We'll leave you two lovebirds to nurse your wounds while I gloat all over these losers!" Elijah said grinning as he got Dom in a headlock and the two of them waved before walking out of the training tent, all the while poking at each other.
"You OK?" Viggo asked softly as he turned Orlando around, still holding his hand.
"Huh?" Orlando asked as he moved his somewhat glazed over eyes to look into Viggo's. Viggo couldn't remember ever seeing the younger man look that lost and desolate.
"So, which one of them is it?"
"Is what?" Orlando asked, confusion replacing unhappiness on his expressive face.
"The one you wanted to make jealous just now," Viggo replied with a smile tugging at one of the corners of his lips.
"Jealous? Umm... I didn't..." Orlando started and then gave up. He could never lie to Viggo, "Elijah," he said softly, lowering his head as if the floor had just become fascinating.
"I thought so," Viggo murmured and Orlando found himself suddenly in Viggo's arms, their chins propped on each other's shoulders, "You've never hidden your affection for him very well."
"I wasn't really successful, was I?" Orlando asked softly, his voice trembling slightly as a single tear made its way down his face.
"I don't think so. I'm sorry," Viggo said as he stroked up and down Orlando's back.
"He sounded so genuinely happy for us," Orlando said so softly, his voice tight from holding his tears in, that it seemed like those words hurt him physically on their way out of his mouth. Viggo didn't know what to reply to that so he just held Orlando until it didn't seem like the younger man was going to explode with tension.
"So, they were betting on us, huh?" Viggo asked amusedly, "Have I ever given any indication to the possibility of my being anything other than straight?" he asked, moving to stroke Orlando's curls before going back to rubbing his back.
"You so totally give off these bi-vibes," Orlando replied and a moment later Viggo chuckled, still amused.
"Bi-vibes, huh?"
"Yeah. I think it's the artist-slash-poet-slash-actor, not to mention handsome, thing. A wee bit too artsy and beautiful for a totally straight man," Orlando replied, grinning, "Apparently you also give off shagging-Orli vibes. Those are a surprise to me too," Orlando continued and Viggo chuckled as they took half a step each from their embrace, their hands coming to link by their sides.
"Who knows? For you, I could be an honorary bisexual," Viggo shrugged and Orlando laughed.
"You'd totally fit in with the crowd," he grinned.
"And you're even pretty enough that it wouldn't be such a huge jump from women," Viggo said teasingly and laughed when Orlando glared at him.
"Gee, thanks, cunt!" the younger man said indignantly as he fake-punched Viggo in the middle of his chest before quickly hugging Viggo again, "Just gimme a hint if you ever decide you want me to guide you that way," Orlando whispered and when he stepped back Viggo could see the implied "thanks" in Orlando's eyes before the younger man kissed him, nothing deeper than a chaste press of lips on lips, and left the tent.
The End