He’d lost Sean in the gardening department of the store. That is to say, Viggo had continued walking when Sean had lingered in the tools section. Over pruning tools, or weeding tools… apparently they were very nifty. Chances were, he’d be there awhile. And so Viggo had strolled on to the clothes department. Sitting on a small stand next to a mannequin, he looks around while he opens a candy wrapper.
The shopping public is mostly female, and scantily clad. It is the phenomenon Viggo notes every year -- one day, when the temperature has risen to a comfortable level, you see the first short skirt, and you’ll know that within a week, they are everywhere. That first short skirt of the year always makes him smile. Well, Sean says it’s more of a leer. He’s one to talk. Chewing on the candy, Viggo looks around appreciatively, though somewhat mournful that leggings seem to be back in fashion. He didn’t like them the first time around and he doesn’t like them now. But fashion doesn’t make all that much sense to him anyway.
The men among the youthful public are mostly boyfriends. Some really are too hip to be genuine; they are obviously dressed by the girlfriends. Or… he cocks his head while observing one of them. Or maybe gay. Bi-curious at least -- Viggo observes how the guy waiting outside the changing rooms is checking out that other guy, who has his nose in the stacks of plain t-shirts; standing on his toes and displaying the lovely V-shape of his back and his gorgeous ass. The fashionable bi-curious boy doesn’t seem to mind the other man’s lack of hip-ness, or his shaggy hair. Viggo understands the appeal though. The man with the shaggy hair drapes about a dozen of the shirts, mostly white, over his arm and heads off to the jeans. Uh oh, time to intervene.
Viggo shoots up, and walks the distance to the section where Sean is prowling through the clothes racks. There’s a difference between pants that look good and pants that are comfortable. Which is why your lover should not be buying your pants in the ‘teen’ corner. Sean is holding up a pair that, well honestly, they look like they would be gorgeous on Sean. Gorgeous and uncomfortable. They are low cut and slim fitting, a little wider at the bottom. Viggo knows that these pants are meant for him though, which is less appealing. He approaches the clothing rack with the skintight jeans. “Hey. What are you up to?”
Sean holds the pants up in front of Viggo. “Was wondering how these would look with your arse in them,” he murmurs.
Happily surprised, Viggo’s sense of fun kicks in. He takes the pants from Sean and grins as he walks to the changing rooms. He’s sure Sean is following, but he doesn’t turn to see if Sean does his little skip -- it’s okay if he’s not quite there yet. There aren’t any store clerks standing by the entrance to the rooms, so as he goes in, he pulls Sean along and closes the curtain. “I’ll try them on first.”
***
Sean puts away the clothes he’s bought. The jeans were fun to try on; they looked great on Viggo, and Viggo growled and groped when Sean had them on after. But they really were unwearable, so even though there was some pleading, Sean decided against getting them. After he’s put the new batch of shirts in the drawer, he takes out some old, frayed ones; they go into Viggo’s paint-attire pile.
When he comes downstairs he sees Viggo on the couch, following him with his eyes. Sean ignores the specific look he receives. He walks to the kitchen, grabs a beer for both of them, and puts one in front of Viggo on his way out back to the garden. He knows Viggo doesn’t mind, even though the glint in his eyes shows his interest plainly. But Viggo will wait.
Sean starts by having a look around, inspecting all the patches with plants, trees and bushes. He needs to put some supporting canes in the pots with lilies, they are growing quickly now. And the roses need extra fertiliser. He sips cold beer from the bottle and assesses the state of the hedge -- could use a bit of a trim. He puts down the bottle on the small round wooden table, the one that Viggo made years ago and that used to be a side-table in the house. When there was no room for it anymore, Viggo wanted to put it in his studio, but Sean smuggled it to the rear of the garden. Despite Viggo’s reasoning that paint smears would add character, Sean had felt it should be outside in the fresh air. He reaches up to pick the dead flowers from the fuchsias in the hanging pots. Meanwhile, he’s thinking up a step-by-step plan he’ll follow to get everything done.
Viggo sits on the patio with his legs on the table. He’s got his sketchpad in his lap, but he’s not forcing anything. He watches Sean in his element; he’s beautiful that way. Well, he’d be beautiful taking out the garbage, of course, but doing this, he’s happy beautiful. It’s a quiet happy, not the happy that erupts when Sheffield score a goal, or when he’s with his pub mates. This is Sean happy in his private bubble, and it’s a special moment. Viggo chews on the back of his pen and feels his own tranquility set in, slowly but surely, while he watches, and his mind drifts off. Only when Sean disappears in the miniature greenhouse a half an hour later, does Viggo open his sketchbook and start drawing.
***
Sean puts away the trimming tools, collects the small basket with ripe tomatoes that he retrieved from the greenhouse earlier, and walks back to the patio. He holds out the basket to show Viggo, and wipes his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt. “For the sauce. Big, aren’t they?”
Viggo puts down his pad and smiles. “They look delicious.”
“I’m just going to take a shower, yeah?” He bends forward to give Viggo a kiss.
Viggo hums and bites Sean’s lip.
“Fuck off.” Sean laughs and smacks Viggo’s shoulder before going inside.
Viggo grins. He can wait.
***
A glass of white wine greets Sean as he enters the living room. Viggo’s put on Mozart, but he’s not around. Sean takes his wine to the kitchen and gets a cookbook from the shelf. In the inside leaf are his accumulated favourite recipes, jotted down on scraps of paper. He puts on his glasses and searches out the one he wants.
Viggo looks at the canvas and rubs his hands with an old cloth to get some of the paint off. His stomach rumbles when the scents from the kitchen reach the garage-turned-studio. He stretches and, contented, starts putting things away so he can go join Sean.
Sean hums along with the music, as the piece builds up the drama. It’s nearly inaudible, but Viggo picks it up as he closes in. He waits a moment before taking that final step, and looks, again. Sean stops stirring the sauce, raises his head and looks forward, and then, almost like a headbang-movement, he nods sharply in time with the crescendo in the music. Viggo smiles, and a surge of love overwhelms him.
Sean startles when Viggo’s arms are suddenly around him and squeezing tight. “Oomph! I can’t breathe,” he protests.
“Mmm, I’ll let go in a sec,” Viggo mumbles. He presses his nose against the back of Sean’s neck and inhales.
The sauce needs more stirring, but Sean closes his eyes and leans back. Viggo’s lips brush over his nape and his belly feels warm under Viggo’s hand. All too soon, Viggo gives him his space. Which is a good thing, considering dinner is almost ready. Sean watches as he gathers utensils, plates and napkins, and walks off to the dinner table in the living room.
Dinner is wonderful, and the way Viggo looks at him makes Sean giddy. He feels more settled now, no longer tightly wound. Viggo knows what he needs, what he has needed this past week. Even though Viggo’s craving for him has been palpable all this time, he has been patient. But now Sean is ready, and Viggo knows that too. It is why he is stretching this last moment, gazing into Sean’s eyes, worrying his bottom lip, egging Sean on. When Viggo’s hand covers his own, and strokes the back of it with his thumb, Sean’s heartbeat increases and it feels like all of his nerve endings are firing. It’s nearly painful, and the one thing that can save him is looking at him with lust-filled eyes.
***
In bed, spooning behind Sean, Viggo contemplates the small ritual that takes place whenever Sean returns home from filming. Right now, Sean feels lax in his arms; sated and peaceful. Despite the near certainty that it will happen, he’s always relieved when it does. He knows Sean must feel the same tiny bit of anxiety whenever Viggo needs to get away for awhile. Still, even though it’s difficult for Sean to be apart, he gives Viggo his time alone.
Viggo pulls Sean close again, partly for himself, partly because he wants Sean to know he’s right there. Sean tilts his head so Viggo can rest his against Sean’s neck. What they have is solid, because they give each other freedom. And, after Sean has put everything in order -- the garden, the house, Viggo, his head… after all that is done, Sean comes home to him. And it’s always worth the wait.
Summary: Viggo is a patient man.
Rated: PG
Categories: Actor RPS Pairing: Sean/Viggo
Warnings: NoneChallenges:
Series: NoneChapters: 1 Completed: Yes
Word count: 1680 Read: 831
Published: 19 Aug 2009 Updated: 19 Aug 2009