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rugbytackleTITLE: The Orange Grove (5/32): Small Talk
AUTHOR: Cinzia and Gloria
Full headers here
"The wine-dark sea," Sean said: and it was a deep reddish-purple now that the sun was setting. "I s'pose that's what Odysseus would've seen."
"You never really told me much about filming Troy," said Viggo, leaning back in the other deckchair and stretching out his legs. "Finally got round to seeing it last winter. Nice work. Looks like you had a great time. Oh, and I loved the wig."
"I've seen you in worse," Sean said amiably. "Hey, don't you get to wear one in this? One of those powdered jobs?"
Viggo made a rude gesture, but he was grinning. "So? How was it? How was Orlando?"
Sean laughed. "Just the same. Crazy kid." He lit a cigarette, and offered the pack to Viggo. "Beats candles for keeping the bugs away."
"Thanks," said Viggo. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smoked, but the smell of Sean's cigarette reminded him of New Zealand. He coughed and narrowed his eyes against the smoke, peering askance at Sean. "Any on-set romances?"
"Me or Orlando?" Sean asked, grinning.
"Either," said Viggo. "Both."
"Christ, I couldn't keep track of Orli. He's still a right tart. Nothing serious, though. I mean..." Sean's voice trailed off, and he glanced at Viggo. "You two parted on good terms, didn't you?"
Viggo shrugged. "I guess." He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to Orlando, but it had probably been at some premiere. "What about you? All that theatre you've been doing -- does that make it easier to get something going with your leading ladies? "
Sean laughed and looked away. Viggo thought he might actually be blushing. "That'd be telling."
Viggo remembered some of the rumours, but he didn't like to repeat gossip. There'd been some scandal all over the tabloids, a year or so back -- Sean attending some charity function with his leading lady, and her husband letting off about it -- but that was likely just the press, desperate for copy. Viggo hadn't paid much attention, though he'd noticed that Sean looked older in the photos.
Anyway, Sean would talk about it if he wanted, and right now he wasn't saying anything -- just staring out over the darkening ocean, looking more relaxed than Viggo had seen him for years. He'd only been in Crete since lunchtime.
"All settled in?" he said instead. "When's the rest of your gear coming?"
"It's gone straight to the production office, I reckon," said Sean. "Maybe I can pick it up tomorrow, after I've checked in with Steve and sorted out my schedule."
"Yeah, sure," said Viggo. "Wanna split a bottle of the local red?"
"Sounds great. Listen, let me call the girls. I better check in, let them know I'm here."
"Sure. C'mon, phone's in the kitchen."
Viggo snagged a bottle and a couple of glasses, and went back out to the terrace. He'd turned on the radio in the lounge; something classical, but the crickets almost drowned it out. By the time Sean reappeared, Viggo's glass was half empty. Sean propped his feet on the low wall of the terrace, and lit another cigarette.
Viggo handed him a glass of wine. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Evie's fine. Lorna's back at college tomorrow ..." The sentence trailed off. Sean exhaled slowly. "Can't believe it's dark already. No wonder I'm knackered."
"Sun sets early here," Viggo observed, sipping wine. It was better than most of the Greek wine he'd drunk in LA restaurants. "But travel can be tiring. If you want to get an early night, go ahead."
"I'll last a bit longer," Sean said, chuckling.
Viggo leant over and filched another cigarette. "And, y'know, treat the place as home, yes? Ask people round, have someone stay over, whatever."
Sean laughed. "I haven't even been here a day and you're trying to get me paired up?"
Viggo grinned and shrugged.
"What about you, anyway?" said Sean. "Seeing anyone here? Or is it too soon?"
Out in the bay, fishing boats were lighting their lamps. Viggo watched as the rough triangles of mast, bow and stern appeared. In the lea of the coast, where the water was smooth, the reflected lights shimmered faintly. "Too soon, I guess," he said.
It wasn't strictly true. He hadn't really thought about it, hadn't been looking, since he left his most recent girlfriend in the States to come and make this film. There was his Greek teacher, who'd started talking to him one night in the taverna, and ended up inviting Viggo home "for an English lesson". Viggo smiled at his own naiveté: he wouldn't have believed that excuse when he was eighteen, so why now? Perhaps because he hadn't been looking, hadn't expected a hot mouth and clever hands and a breathless, laughing explanation of the Greek terms for kissing, fucking, condoms...
Sean would think that was hilarious, but Viggo wasn't drunk enough to tell him; not yet.
"It's not like New Zealand," he offered instead. "It's ... you'll see."
"More old-fashioned?" Sean suggested, eyebrows raised.
Viggo chuckled, and poured more wine for them both. "Yeah." It was nearly dark now, and he couldn't see Sean's expression, but he had a feeling he was being teased.
"We'll just have to date each other, then," said Sean. Viggo could hear his wicked smile now. "No one's going to look twice at a pair of middle-aged blokes having dinner together."
"Well, I'm cooking tonight," said Viggo. "So where are you taking me tomorrow?"
Sean laughed out loud -- his teeth gleamed white in the dusk -- and kicked Viggo's leg with his bare foot. "Somewhere where no one will look twice," he said.
Viggo pretended to consider. "Well, we're hardly pretty young things," he said. "But, y'know, they like blonds here. You might get a better offer."
Sean was lighting yet another cigarette, and the flare of the lighter illuminated his smile as he looked across at Viggo. "Doubt it," he said quietly. "Someone's got to keep you out of trouble, anyway."
"Huh," said Viggo. The lights on the bay were hypnotic, and the wine was going to his head. Time to eat. But he stayed where he was, happy to sit with Sean, happy to feel that nothing important had changed.
AUTHOR: Cinzia and Gloria
Full headers here
"The wine-dark sea," Sean said: and it was a deep reddish-purple now that the sun was setting. "I s'pose that's what Odysseus would've seen."
"You never really told me much about filming Troy," said Viggo, leaning back in the other deckchair and stretching out his legs. "Finally got round to seeing it last winter. Nice work. Looks like you had a great time. Oh, and I loved the wig."
"I've seen you in worse," Sean said amiably. "Hey, don't you get to wear one in this? One of those powdered jobs?"
Viggo made a rude gesture, but he was grinning. "So? How was it? How was Orlando?"
Sean laughed. "Just the same. Crazy kid." He lit a cigarette, and offered the pack to Viggo. "Beats candles for keeping the bugs away."
"Thanks," said Viggo. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smoked, but the smell of Sean's cigarette reminded him of New Zealand. He coughed and narrowed his eyes against the smoke, peering askance at Sean. "Any on-set romances?"
"Me or Orlando?" Sean asked, grinning.
"Either," said Viggo. "Both."
"Christ, I couldn't keep track of Orli. He's still a right tart. Nothing serious, though. I mean..." Sean's voice trailed off, and he glanced at Viggo. "You two parted on good terms, didn't you?"
Viggo shrugged. "I guess." He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to Orlando, but it had probably been at some premiere. "What about you? All that theatre you've been doing -- does that make it easier to get something going with your leading ladies? "
Sean laughed and looked away. Viggo thought he might actually be blushing. "That'd be telling."
Viggo remembered some of the rumours, but he didn't like to repeat gossip. There'd been some scandal all over the tabloids, a year or so back -- Sean attending some charity function with his leading lady, and her husband letting off about it -- but that was likely just the press, desperate for copy. Viggo hadn't paid much attention, though he'd noticed that Sean looked older in the photos.
Anyway, Sean would talk about it if he wanted, and right now he wasn't saying anything -- just staring out over the darkening ocean, looking more relaxed than Viggo had seen him for years. He'd only been in Crete since lunchtime.
"All settled in?" he said instead. "When's the rest of your gear coming?"
"It's gone straight to the production office, I reckon," said Sean. "Maybe I can pick it up tomorrow, after I've checked in with Steve and sorted out my schedule."
"Yeah, sure," said Viggo. "Wanna split a bottle of the local red?"
"Sounds great. Listen, let me call the girls. I better check in, let them know I'm here."
"Sure. C'mon, phone's in the kitchen."
Viggo snagged a bottle and a couple of glasses, and went back out to the terrace. He'd turned on the radio in the lounge; something classical, but the crickets almost drowned it out. By the time Sean reappeared, Viggo's glass was half empty. Sean propped his feet on the low wall of the terrace, and lit another cigarette.
Viggo handed him a glass of wine. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Evie's fine. Lorna's back at college tomorrow ..." The sentence trailed off. Sean exhaled slowly. "Can't believe it's dark already. No wonder I'm knackered."
"Sun sets early here," Viggo observed, sipping wine. It was better than most of the Greek wine he'd drunk in LA restaurants. "But travel can be tiring. If you want to get an early night, go ahead."
"I'll last a bit longer," Sean said, chuckling.
Viggo leant over and filched another cigarette. "And, y'know, treat the place as home, yes? Ask people round, have someone stay over, whatever."
Sean laughed. "I haven't even been here a day and you're trying to get me paired up?"
Viggo grinned and shrugged.
"What about you, anyway?" said Sean. "Seeing anyone here? Or is it too soon?"
Out in the bay, fishing boats were lighting their lamps. Viggo watched as the rough triangles of mast, bow and stern appeared. In the lea of the coast, where the water was smooth, the reflected lights shimmered faintly. "Too soon, I guess," he said.
It wasn't strictly true. He hadn't really thought about it, hadn't been looking, since he left his most recent girlfriend in the States to come and make this film. There was his Greek teacher, who'd started talking to him one night in the taverna, and ended up inviting Viggo home "for an English lesson". Viggo smiled at his own naiveté: he wouldn't have believed that excuse when he was eighteen, so why now? Perhaps because he hadn't been looking, hadn't expected a hot mouth and clever hands and a breathless, laughing explanation of the Greek terms for kissing, fucking, condoms...
Sean would think that was hilarious, but Viggo wasn't drunk enough to tell him; not yet.
"It's not like New Zealand," he offered instead. "It's ... you'll see."
"More old-fashioned?" Sean suggested, eyebrows raised.
Viggo chuckled, and poured more wine for them both. "Yeah." It was nearly dark now, and he couldn't see Sean's expression, but he had a feeling he was being teased.
"We'll just have to date each other, then," said Sean. Viggo could hear his wicked smile now. "No one's going to look twice at a pair of middle-aged blokes having dinner together."
"Well, I'm cooking tonight," said Viggo. "So where are you taking me tomorrow?"
Sean laughed out loud -- his teeth gleamed white in the dusk -- and kicked Viggo's leg with his bare foot. "Somewhere where no one will look twice," he said.
Viggo pretended to consider. "Well, we're hardly pretty young things," he said. "But, y'know, they like blonds here. You might get a better offer."
Sean was lighting yet another cigarette, and the flare of the lighter illuminated his smile as he looked across at Viggo. "Doubt it," he said quietly. "Someone's got to keep you out of trouble, anyway."
"Huh," said Viggo. The lights on the bay were hypnotic, and the wine was going to his head. Time to eat. But he stayed where he was, happy to sit with Sean, happy to feel that nothing important had changed.
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Date: 2003-09-26 02:33 pm (UTC)Quiet and sweet and close.
*sigh*
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Date: 2003-09-27 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-26 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-27 09:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-28 11:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-26 03:20 pm (UTC)He's flirting with you, you dolt. Wake up and smell the
Seantea.Love,
a fan.
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Date: 2003-09-27 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-26 03:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-27 09:55 am (UTC)er, what a lot of white space ...
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Date: 2003-09-26 05:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-27 09:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-26 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-27 09:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-27 02:59 pm (UTC)*worships*
ally
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Date: 2003-09-27 07:43 pm (UTC)But thank you!
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Date: 2003-09-27 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-01 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-28 04:24 pm (UTC)My apologies for not leaving feedback for the past few chapters, but I only have a little bit of time everyday before I scramble for work to make sure the next chapter of this is posted. It always makes me happy when there's a new chapter and I think you two are doing a fabulous job.
Thanks again for sharing this with us!
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Date: 2003-10-01 03:11 pm (UTC)Hope you continue to enjoy the gradual progression ...!
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Date: 2003-10-11 12:02 am (UTC)That very loud woman you just heart scream "yes!" was me. Very nice.
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Date: 2004-10-19 09:14 am (UTC)