"They must have got something settled," Elijah said, walking in behind Dom and grinning. "Orli's only half in Dave's lap now, and..." "I thought you were getting something to eat." Orlando gave them a suspicious look, noting their empty hands. "Umm..." Two sets of eyes regarded him innocently, and Dave laughed. "You're usually more subtle than that," Dave pointed out, grinning when Dom made a face at him. His fingers made small circles on Orlando's shoulder, the other hand resting on Orlando's thigh where it sprawled across his. "Oh, bite me." "Don't let Sean hear you say that." Four heads whipped around to find Karl and Harry standing in the doorway, watching them with amusement. "Fuck..." Dom whipped his head between Karl and Harry, and Dave and Orlando. "Um..." "Cozy, aren't they?" Karl said, tipping his head toward Orlando and Dave. "Perhaps we don't need to say anything." "Say what..,? Oh." Sean strolled in, took one look at the couple on the sofa, burst out laughing. "Fucking hell." "The fuck...?" Dom walked to Sean, touched his hair. "You okay?" Sean simply waved him off, took another look at Dave and Orlando, and promptly burst into gales of laughter again. "Someone mind telling me the joke?" Orlando asked, looking at Sean like he'd caught something contagious. "Might be because you're currently wrapped around my soon-to-be-pet," Harry pointed out, a smile playing on his lips. "And the two of you look very nice together, if I may say so." "Very nice," Karl agreed. "I think we've been busted," Dave whispered in Orlando's ear, and fought to keep from laughing when Orlando's eyes widened and a hand came up in protest. "I...we...this isn't what it looks like," Orlando said, the words sounding lame even to his own ears. "Well, not quite," Dave amended, dodging Orlando's hand as it tried to cover his mouth. "If you'd come in about ten minutes ago..." "Don't look at me!" Dom shook his head when Sean looked at him, still laughing, eyes curious. "I was out of the room, so I don't know what happened, and Karl, you can't kill Orli because Dave promised him you wouldn't." Elijah stopped, grinned at Orlando's obvious distress. "Should I go make some popcorn?" "Why would I want to kill him?" Karl asked, genuinely curious. "That's what I was trying to tell him," Dave said, kissing Orlando's cheek. "You've got a sweet pet here, guys. I might keep him." "You'll be too busy to do that," Harry answered. He leaned over and gave Dave a thorough kiss that had him forgetting to breathe. "Why do I always have to walk in on you molesting someone?" Viggo drawled, as he walked into the room. "Perhaps because you're a secret voyeur," Dom replied, giving Viggo a cheeky grin. "If he thinks that's molesting someone, he really does need to get laid," Orlando muttered, settling back against Dave's side again and chewing his bottom lip. He flashed Viggo a charming smile and managed to look innocent as Harry and Dave roared with laughter. "What was that?" "Nothing you'd be interested in," Orlando replied, smiling sweetly. He glanced up at Harry. "I see how it is. You go get yourself a new pet and forget all about me. I don't even rate a kiss anymore." Karl chuckled, watching Orlando pout. "He's so good at that. Almost makes you believe it, doesn't he?" "Oh, man," Elijah said with a muffled snicker. "He's so got you pegged." "Are you feeling neglected, little one?" Harry asked, stroking a finger over Orlando's cheek, smiling at his soft shudder. Dave glanced up at Harry. "Should I leave the two of you alone?" he joked. "I don't think that'll be necessary," Harry said, giving Orlando a soft, brief kiss. "This is so fucked," Elijah stated, shaking his head. "Jealous much?" Dom teased, leaning his head on Sean's shoulder. "Hardly." "You know, I've been thinking about getting a second pet..." Sean grinned at Dom's glare. "You know I'm only teasing, love." "As long as you know you're teasing." Viggo picked a piece of imaginary lint off of his jacket, eyed everyone in the room with an air of supreme boredom. "I must have been under the mistaken impression that we were going out to dinner." "Oh, sure, look at Gramps trying to act like it's every day he walks in on a pet curled around a vampire not his own," Dom said. He shook his head. "We are going to dinner." Orlando set about untangling himself from Dave. Two sets of hands tried to help him, ended up hindering him more than anything, and Orlando glared at Harry and Dave. He was positive they were doing that on purpose. "Are you quite through groping me?" Karl put a hand over his heart and managed to look shocked. "Harry, grope someone? And Orlando complaining about it?" "Yes, gentlemen," Elijah said, with a broad grin. "Hell has frozen over." Everyone except Orlando laughed. He just looked at Elijah, a calm smile in place. "Yeah, well, at least I'm not Vig's date for the night." Elijah's eyes widened so much they were almost round. "I'm what?" "Oh, don't worry, young Elijah, unlike those three," Viggo waved a hand at Harry, Karl and Sean, "I don't bite on the first date." Karl bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the look of sheer terror on Elijah's face. "Look, I don't know what they may have told you about me, but..." Elijah started backing up, turned around, gulped, when he encountered Harry. "Relax, child." Harry's grin was positively lethal. "It only hurts the first instant." Dave tucked Elijah's hand under his arm, gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek. "Ignore him, he's just fucking with you." He started pulling an unresisting Elijah across the room. "Let me introduce you to my boss, Viggo Mortensen." "Oh, we've met," Viggo said. "I know that, Vig, but I'm trying to be polite here. Something all of you should know about." Dave's gaze swept over everyone. "Ouch. Set down by the baby vamp." Sean put a hand to his heart, grimaced. Orlando wrapped himself around Harry from behind, pulled Karl to stand with them. "That was mean," he said, laughing and pressing a kiss to Harry's shoulder. "Lij is terrified of you, and then you go and say that." "I didn't think there was anything Elijah the Fierce was scared of," Karl stated, sliding an arm around Orlando's waist. "Hey!" Dom gave the three of them a frown. "No telling secrets." "You probably don't want to know what they're whispering," Sean said as he ruffled Dom's hair. "Yes, I do." "No," Dave said, glancing over his shoulder and grinning just as Harry opened his mouth to speak. "You don't." Elijah stood beside Dave, hand still trapped under Dave's arm. He was trying to stand behind the vampire and not be obvious about it. "Hi," he finally said, wiping his hand on his jeans and sticking it out. "Pleasure to meet you," Viggo replied with a cool smile, shook the offered hand. "See, not so difficult." Dave practically beamed at Elijah. "We ready, then?" "Not quite." Harry glanced at Sean, who nodded. "Sean, Dom, why don't you take Vig and Lij and we'll meet you?" "Oh no, I always miss the good shit." Dom tapped his foot impatiently, looked at Harry. "What's going on?" "Not now." Sean kissed Dom swiftly, started to guide him out of the room. "I'll give you details, you know I always do." "You better," Dom grumbled. "And you as well." He gave a pointed look to Orlando. "As soon as I know, I will," Orlando promised, watching as everyone else left. Onto Part Eighteen
|