~ A bedroom in Hampstead, London ~
Sean dropped down on the bed like a dead weight and slid under the covers. Tired, so tired..
He had been breathing, eating, drinking Macbeth for days now and it felt as if the Thane of Cawdor had been growing inside him, leeching Sean's very soul and strength away to make himself real on stage. And to think of all the times he'd teased Viggo back in New Zealand for being such a method actor, for letting himself disappear into Aragorn...
Sean sighed, like he always did when thinking of Viggo. He'd thought time and distance would dull the ache, the longing, the regret at what had not happened between them, but it hadn't, and now it felt as if he was sharing his life with a ghost, the ghost of Viggo's love.
He sighed again and rolled onto his side, trying to clear his mind of all ghosts - Macbeth - Viggo.. He needed sleep, the innocent sleep. Macbeth's words echoed in his mind and he swore softly, closing his eyes to the darkness of the room and giving himself over to the sleep of exhaustion.
~ A bedroom in Wellington, New Zealand ~
Viggo drew the curtains tight against the morning light and threw himself on the bed, too tired, too drained to even bother with getting under the covers.
Shooting all night, trying to sleep during the day. It made him feel like he was living in a ghost world.
The Helms Deep people felt more real by now than their live counterparts, the actors. Shadows had more substance than real men and women.
One absent shadow more than any other - Sean.
Bitterness and longing swept through him, so strong they left him shaking. Why hadn't he ever spoken to Sean, hinted, tried? He'd always been too afraid of spoiling the friendship, of losing what they had by letting his need for more than that take command.Nothing ventured nothing gained, except for a ghost always lurking at the edge of his vision, green eyes staring at him, sometimes twinkling, sometimes inquiring.
He sighed and thumped the mattress angrily before slumping down and closing his eyes, trying to shut out the day and wait for the sleep his body was screaming for.
***
Sean was asleep, but his breathing was fast, his heartbeat racing.His was not the gentle sleep that rests the body and soothes the soul.
In the dream he was moving through mists so thick he couldn't see where he was, but there were voices ghosting through the white, thick cotton wall of the fog, pierced now and then by lightning and thunder. Voices calling, insinuating, mocking..
Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth!
He could not see the witches calling to him, he could only hear their cackling voices flying on the air as the mists swirled and closed around him.
As he tried to make his way through the mists, they coalesced into a thicker swirling form, a sort of pillar that undulated before him, barring him the way wherever he moved as tendrils of vapour reached out from it as if to touch him, grab him.
Hail to thee Sean, who would be Viggo's King! Why not reach out and take him? the voices taunted. It is not too late to get what your heart yearns for... Look! Look how it could be!
The column of mist started to dance before Sean's eyes and seemed to take shape... Two bodies, wrapped tightly around each other... Sean closed his eyes in the dream but he could still see them. Then the mass of writhing mist split in two and took the shape of two male figures. Sean recognized himself, and Viggo...
Behind his closed eyelids Sean saw himself touch Viggo, slowly moving his hands over his friend's body in a way that was not that of a friend, but that of a lover.
Mesmerized Sean watched as the two ghostly figures moved lovingly against each other then joined, until the mist they were made of erupted like a starburst and he woke up in the darkness of his room with the mocking voices of the witches still filling his hearing.
His heart was beating frantically, he was covered in cold, clammy sweat and he was so hard it ached, his erection tenting the sheets.
The dream still felt so real he could still hear the witches laughing and whispering to him, daring him and at the same time mocking him for his weakness as his hand slid down to palm his swollen cock and jerk himself off quickly, almost angrily, while the voices whispered to him of Viggo until he joined them, crying out Viggo's name as his cock pulsed and hot spurts of semen splashed on his hand and belly.
He panted, waiting for his heartbeat to stop racing, for the pounding of blood to stop filling his ears.
The room was dark, silent now, the voices gone.
But inside Sean they still kept whispering.
***
For all his weariness it had taken Viggo long to fall asleep, and even now his sleep was fitful and agitated.
He turned restlessly on the bed and buried his face in the pillow, instinctively trying to escape the light filtering through the curtains.
He was dreaming, and in the dream his exhausted mind kept revisiting the peculiar alternative reality he had been living in for the last months. The sun glinting through the curtains became in his dream the glint of a golden ring engraved with burning lettering and whispering to him, mocking him, taunting him.
Hail Aragorn, son of Arathorn and Heir to Isildur! the Ring whispered. Hail Viggo, foolish mortal who has let the one you most desire slip through your fingers! Look! Look what could have been yours if you had but claimed him!
In the dream Viggo's vision was momentarily blinded by a bright shaft of light. When vision returned to him, he could see two shapes rolling together on a bed of red-gold light and moving against each other, into each other, joining as one.
When they stiffened and lifted their faces in a silent cry of joy Viggo could recognize himself and Sean, the look of fulfilled pleasure on their faces feeling like a stab to his heart, so fierce he woke up sweating and shaking, fistfuls of sheets knotted into his hands, his cock hard and aching, trapped between his body and the mattress, the friction making him shiver with pleasure-pain as the golden Ring spun in his vision and seemed to laugh at him.
Claim him.. it whispered mockingly. Claim Sean.. and Viggo echoed Sean's name as he came hard into the mattress, Sean's name pouring from his lips in a keening cry.
***
Last night of the night shooting and then two weeks off..
Viggo slumped on his seat, face lifted, and let the make up girls apply dirt and blood while his mind focused on the thought of two weeks to himself. He could go home to Henry.. Or.. He could keep a promise..
He couldn't remember whether the promise had been to Sean or to himself, all he knew was that one day, not so long ago though it felt like ages had passed, he'd committed to flying to London so see Sean play Macbeth if there was the slightest chance he could do it. And now he could.
He would send Sean an email, telling him he would be coming to London to see him and asking him to book him into a hotel that might be convenient for spending some time with each other if Sean could spare time from performances and rehearsals.
Yes, he would do that, as soon as this final night of shooting was done, he thought jumping eagerly out of the make-up chair.
***
Sean hesitated - and damned himself for hesitating - then went on typing.
Don't be daft, Viggo, he wrote. I'm not going to book you into a hotel, there's plenty of room here at my place. You can stay here with me.
He added a few more details about how to reach his house from Heathrow and how Viggo should let him know what time he'd get to London so that he would be home waiting for him.
Sean's hand hesitated, the pointer hovering on the Send box. Distant laughter echoed in his mind as the witches from the dream seemed to mock him. He clicked Send and closed his eyes, feeling like a gambler waiting to see where the ball would settle once the roulette stopped spinning.
***
Sean opened the door and pulled Viggo inside, eyeing him hungrily before engulfing him in a bear hug. He looked tired, he thought, almost ashen. A tide of protectiveness swept through him, so fierce it made him hold Viggo tighter than he had originally planned to.
"Hey mate, you look terrible," he murmured softly as he drew back, his hands still curled tightly around Viggo's arms.
Viggo looked embarrassed, but the pleasure he felt at Sean's concern was apparent.
"The night shootings for Helms Deep have been a real nightmare, Sean. I guess the long flight did the rest.. I haven't been sleeping well lately.." Viggo murmured, all the while studying Sean's face with the kind of look a man dying of thirst would give to a stream of cool water.
"You're no rose yourself, mate," he remarked, taking in Sean's features, leaner than he remembered them, and the dark shadows under his green eyes.
Sean smiled ruefully. "Becoming Macbeth every night is taking its toll; and I'm not sleeping well either. But come, let's get you settled in. There's no way you can know how glad I am to see you and to have you here!" he grabbed Viggo's bag and pushed him gently in the direction of the guest room.
"There's no way you can know how glad I am to be here with you either," Viggo replied softly, almost under his breath, as he followed Sean, his eyes moving over his back in a loving caress.
***
Viggo lay in bed, his body still and relaxed but his brain very much awake.
He'd seen the play that night, the Scottish play, he thought grinning into the darkness as he remembered the old superstition.
The actor in him had appreciated Sean's superb performance, but the man in him had been overwhelmed with wanting and lust and had mentally devoured every inch of smooth bared skin.
Yet he'd said nothing once they were back home and ready to go to sleep, he'd simply clasped briefly Sean's shoulder,unwilling to say one of the many shallow platitudes it would have been easy to say, unable to say the words he really wanted to say.
Sean had seemed embarrassed too, his hand reaching out as if to touch Viggo's cheek, then dropping to Viggo's shoulder as he wished him good night.
But it was not a good night as each lay in his bed.
As Viggo lay awake, blaming jetlag, he heard soft sounds of distress coming from Sean's room...
They'd both left the doors to their rooms open and now Viggo cocked his ear and wondered what was wrong with Sean, whether he should go and check on him. Dry rustling laughter echoed through his mind. Still shy, Isildur's Heir? the Ring mocked him. You certainly traveled a lot of miles just to lie in your bed eating your heart out and doing nothing. Go if you want him, claim him!
Viggo shook his head, trying to clear it from the intruding voice, but the words kept repeating themselves in his mind.. If you want him go and claim him!Until Viggo raised himself off the bed and padded quietly to Sean's room.
Sean had lain awake long, wishing he'd been able to say something, do something; but the only thing he'd been able to do was leave the door to his room open, as if that small gesture could leave other doors open between them and give him the courage to walk through them.
He was asleep now, a deep but unquiet sleep filled with the witches' cackling voices and with their mocking. Visions of a sleeping Viggo floated through his sleep and the witches taunted him. He's so beautiful, such a man.. He could be yours if you had the boldness to reach out and take him... Sean whimpered in his sleep and reached out, the elusive vision dissolving through his fingers.
Viggo had stood by the bed for a while, rooted by his own longing, by Sean's beauty. But when Sean had started to whimper in the throes of some nightmare Viggo could not stand still anymore, could not resist. He slipped under the covers by Sean's side and pulled him close, spooning against him, making his body a shield to protect him. He put one arm around his waist and rubbed his cheek against Sean's cropped hair, breathing in his scent and murmuring soft sounds of reassurance into his neck. He hadn't planned on falling asleep there, but it was warm under the covers, and Sean smelled so good... Viggo settled down comfortably and drowsily thought that the way their bodies fit into each other was quite wonderful. That was his last coherent thought before he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
Sean surfaced from sleep feeling rested and secure, feeling better than he had felt in a very long time. As awareness returned, he realized he was wrapped in strong arms, in Viggo's arms. He remembered the night voices tormenting him, and the way they had inexplicably exulted, all of a sudden, leaving him to undisturbed innocent sleep.
Viggo had sent them away, he thought with delighted awe, Viggo had come to claim him back from the mists and the witches' taunting. Sean tried to roll around in Viggo's tight hold so that he could face him, but Viggo pulled him close murmuring sleepily."Mine, claimed him!" and pressed himself possessively against Sean's body, his morning half-hard cock pressing lazily into Sean's buttock.
Sean smiled and with a fingertip traced the shape of Viggo's lips until Viggo's eyes flew open, sleepy and confused.
"Hey," Sean whispered softly, moving his fingertips along the line of Viggo's jaw, stroking the scraggly Aragorn beard.
"Hey yourself," Viggo replied. "How did I get here?" he asked momentarily confused before in a flash it all came back to him.. the Ring daring him.. Sean's nightmare.. going to him during the night and being unable to make himself leave..
"Don't know and I don't really care," Sean murmured, too happy at having Viggo in his bed to care. "The witches brought you, I guess.."
"The witches?" Viggo frowned puzzled. "You mean the Ring.."
"The One Ring? What's that got to do with this? I meant the witches, the ones from the moors, from Macbeth.. the Weird Sisters.." Sean sighed and rubbed his eyes,. "They've been haunting my sleep since we stared rehearsals. But instead of taunting me with visions of power they've been plaguing me with visions of you, Viggo, tormenting me for my incapability of telling you how much I care about you, how much I want you.. as more than a friend!"
Sean hesitated, scared of having said too much already. "They were about to drive me insane Viggo, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come over."
Sean turned towards Viggo, buried his face into the curve of his neck and breathed deeply, as if to assure himself that the man holding him was no vision.
Viggo's hand curled around Sean's neck as he brushed his lips against Sean's hair.
"It was the Ring with me, showing me what I could have with you, mocking me for lacking the courage to reach out to you.. Claim him.. it kept saying.." Viggo shivered, remembering the loneliness and the longing he had felt in those dreams.
Sean lifted his face and brushed Viggo's lips with his. "So you came over and claimed me," he grinned. "I want to claim you too, I want you," he whispered.
Viggo smiled back. "It's only fair, I've made my claim, now it's your turn. Take me Sean, claim me for yours. I've wanted you for so long" Viggo murmured, the need palpable in his voice as he pressed himself into Sean's body under the warm cocoon made by the duvet.
"I saw it in the dream," Sean whispered. "I saw how it would be. You were so beautiful.. you are so beautiful.." Sean reached out to stroke gently Viggo's chest under the t-shirt he was wearing, moving his fingers through the hair and rubbing his nipples until Viggo whimpered and squirmed, twisting to take off the t-shirt and boxers he'd been sleeping in.
Sean pushed back the duvet impatiently. He'd seen Viggo naked lots of times when they were sharing a trailer, but he'd never been able to look at him openly, with hungry eyes and hands that seemed unable to stay away.
"God, I've wanted to be able to do this for so long..." The green eyes seemed to burn Viggo's flesh with the intensity of their gaze and were quickly followed by Sean's mouth
"So what do you want, Viggo? What did the Ring show you?" Sean asked, his hand closing around Viggo's cock, the hot pulsing hardness already taking him riding on a wave of pleasure.
"You.. me.. joined.." Viggo panted, running his palms up and down Sean's sides.
"Then we'd better make sure the vision comes true, or your Ring and my witches will haunt us forever.." Sean murmured, his thumb spreading the wetness already welling at the head of Viggo's cock, then bringing the thumb to his mouth to taste it, his eyes never leaving Viggo's.
As he swirled his tongue around his thumb and watched Viggo pant, Sean lifted one eyebrow.
"Viggo... I haven't even asked you if you're okay with this.." Sean's voice held a hint of hesitation and his cheeks suddenly looked flushed.
"With what, Sean? With sharing a bed with you?" Viggo asked, his hand moivng slowly across Sean's body, as if he wanted to get to know every inch of it by touch, like a blind man. "With sharing myself with you?" he went on, his hand tangling in the patch of hair at the base of Sean's erect cock. "With you being the one doing the claiming and taking?"
Sean exhaled softly, his eyes slitted in catlike pleasure at the feel of Viggo's hand petting him. "Maybe you want to top.."
"I can be anything for you. I can do anything with you, ours will be a never-ending circle, like the Ring itself. Take me, Sean, and the next time I'll take you, and then we'll do it all over again.."
With a soft, breathless chuckle Sean rose from the bed and headed to the bathroom. "Then I guess I'd better get plenty of supplies.." he winked at Viggo.
Viggo grinned back and rested against the pillow, closing his eyes and feeling small fires dancing in his body and knowing that Sean would fan them into a full conflagration, make them become the luminous shapes joined as one the Ring had shown him.
His eyes flew open when the mattress dipped under Sean's weight, and he saw Sean tearing with his teeth the foil package.
He watched hungrily as Sean rolled the condom on himself and he opened his legs eagerly in invitation. Slicked fingers explored him, searched him, drawing from him short gasps, first of discomfort then of burning pleasure. When he began to push himself wantonly onto them, murmuring sounds of need and impatience Sean withdrew them slowly.
"I dreamed you would look like this... beautiful, flushed, hungry for me. I dreamed you would make these sounds..." he whispered.
"For you.." Viggo whispered back, reaching out to wrap his fingers around Sean's hips and pull him close. "For your claiming... now.." He lifted his hips, flirting with the blunt head of Sean's cock until it pushed inside him slowly, stretching and filling him, so full he could feel tears stinging his eyes at the long awaited completeness. "So right... the Ring was right in calling me a fool for waiting so long.." Viggo panted, lifting to meet Sean's slow, deep thrusts.
Sean reached between their bodies to fist Viggo's cock, the gesture fiercely possessive. "And the witches served me well, better than they did Macbeth," Sean concurred as the pace of his thrusts quickened and his hand squeezed in the same rhythm, rubbing insistently the sensitive spot just under the head until Viggo came with a strangled moan, almost lifting them both off the bed and contracting in hard, pulsing ripples around Sean, making it impossible for him to hold out and taking him along on a blinding burst of orgasm.
They came back slowly, breath going back to normal pant after pant, hearts hammering then slowing against each other's skin, eyes dazzled by the brilliance of what they'd shared.
Sean stripped the condom off and cleaned them both some tissues before drawing the duvet back up over them and curling his body so that Viggo could fit in its warm, welcoming curve.
"Let's sleep now, Viggo. I think someone is waiting for us out there, in the mists of our dreams. We should say our thanks..."
Viggo kissed the hollow at the base of Sean's throat and sighed with pleasure at the feeling of being safe and loved.
"Yes, I've never had so much to be thankful for.."
Summary: He had been breathing, eating, drinking Macbeth for days.
Rated: NC-17
Categories: Actor RPS Pairing: Sean/Viggo
Warnings: NoneChallenges:
Series: NoneChapters: 1 Completed: Yes
Word count: 3603 Read: 751
Published: 07 Aug 2009 Updated: 07 Aug 2009