Title: In the Glowing 2/?
Author:  Moggie (moggie23x@yahoo.ca)
Pairing:  Viggo / Orlando
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary:  In pursuit of a gorgeous shot, Viggo convinces the cast and crew to
spend the night out under the stars.   
Disclaimer:  I don't know Viggo or Orlando.  Nor do I have any knowledge
regarding their sexual orientations or personal life.  This is a work of
fiction, pure and simple.
Archive:  Viggorously, LBES, Lirimaer, Mirrormere, CIB, Of Elves and Men. 
Others please ask - I am sure to say yes.
Beta:  The wonderful Eruberueth Sadril
For the first chapter, refer to the author's website: "Unfettered Words":
http://pages.interlog.com/~illusion/VslashO/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cooling night air wafted over Orlando's damp bare skin, raising goose bumps
as he walked along the edge of the lake.   The soles of his sandals crunched
against the pebbly lakeshore, and all around him he could hear the sounds of
insects and birds, singing in the twilight.  The lake and the surrounding area
were so beautiful - the sun was sinking below the horizon and the landscape was
bathed in the same gorgeous colours of the sunrise. 

He had just spent an enjoyable hour swimming with Brett and some of the crew
near a sandy beach on the lake.  Orlando had wanted to go for swim around where
Viggo and the others were fishing, but Brett had pointed out that they would
probably scare the fish away if they did.  

Since he wasn't able to entertain Viggo with his antics while swimming, he
decided to join the group of fishermen immediately after his swim.  So - clad
only in a pair of shorts that he had managed to dig up, towel in hand, and his
Mohawk a wet stripe of curls down the back of his head - he made his way over to
where Viggo, John and Bernard were fishing.

As he rounded a curve in the lakeshore, he spied the dock where the group was
packing up - apparently fishing was over for the night.    Walking closer, he
could hear their voices - and one could be heard raised above the rest:  

"Guess who gets the trout? Aragorn.  Me, nothing. Aragorn, three."  John's voice
by far one of the more distinctive out of everybody's present.

He headed over to join the group, and clapped Viggo on the back, saying, "I
guess that means you have some fish for me then, eh, old man?"   

As Viggo turned to Orlando, the young man could have sworn he heard a sharp
intake of breath as those cobalt blue eyes traveled the length of his body,
taking in the golden skin of the bare torso, the shorts that clung to his hips,
and the water droplets that were still present on his skin.  Orlando grinned as
Viggo gave his head a quick shake before the man's gaze finally traveled upwards
to meet twinkling eyes.

"Yes, pretty elf.  There's a fish for you," he turned to indicate the three
good-sized fish in a small bucket.  "I think that I'll give the other one to
John as a consolation prize.   I hate to see him go without."

"Viggo, I need neither your pity nor your consolation.  But I will take your
fish.  Thank you."  

"No problem, it was the least I could do after watching you try so hard…"

"Yes, well.   I shall hold my head high knowing that there are other skills that
I excel in, where you do not.  Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I'm going to
attempt to clean up before the festivities begin tonight."  

"I think I'll do the same," Bernard said.  "I might go for a quick swim before
it gets too cold."

"What, you guys are going to wander off and leave me to clean all the fish
myself?"

"So kind of you to volunteer, Viggo.  Besides, I'm sure you could get your elf
to help, you."  Bernard winked at Viggo as he and John headed off towards the
trailers.

"So three fish, huh?"

"Yeah.  Bernard caught two - he's a good fisherman.  Nice of him to leave me to
clean them though."  Viggo rolled his eyes as he unpacked his fillet knife and
began to work on the fish.   "How was swimming?"

"It was great!  You should have come with us!   We found this sandy beach not
far away from here.   The water's kind of cold, but once you start moving its
okay.   We end up having the best water fight - I think that there were 10 of
us, all splashing and dunking each other.   I don't even want to think about how
much lake water I swallowed." 

"Sounds like it was a fun time!"  Viggo smiled, entertained by the enthusiasm
with which Orlando related his story.

"Sure was.  So fishing was fun?"

"It was good.    I'm impressed with the fish in this lake -- the trout are a
good size, and there seems to be plenty of them, despite John's inability to
catch them."

Orlando nodded. Fishing wasn't really his thing, but he was happy to listen to
Viggo talk about the subject.  He could even stomach watching Viggo gut and
fillet the fish.  The precision and care with which Viggo tackled all tasks was
evident as he worked.  Orlando found the whole process to be fascinating.   He
spread his towel out on the dock, and sprawled out on it, and propped his head
up on his elbow to watch the other man work.    

Viggo's eyes drifted over to where Orlando was lounging indulgently on the dock.  
He shook his head, and grinned as he directed his attention back to the task at
hand.   If he didn't know better, he would have sworn that Orlando was putting
himself on display for him:  his half-clothed body spread out along the ground,
his eyes large and dark as he watched Viggo work.   He looked unbearably sexy.  

"So are you just going to watch me work?"

"Yeah.  I figure that you probably wouldn't let me near the fish with that
knife, anyhow, seeing as I've never cleaned a fish before in my life.  But its
interesting watching you do it."

"I think you just don't want to get yourself dirty, prissy elf." 

"Well yeah, there's that too."

"Well, since I caught and cleaned them, that means that you have to cook them,
you know."

"Do I?  What am I, your personal chef now?"

Viggo snorted.  "That's right - I forgot about your legendary kitchen
adventures."  Viggo rolled his eyes and grinned, thoroughly enjoying teasing the
other man.

"Hey!  Fish is actually one of the things that I can cook well!"   An
exaggerated pout came over Orlando's features, and if he was lying within arms
reach of Viggo, he would have reached out to swat at him in protest.

"Okay, okay!  I'll be busy building the campfire, anyways - so if you don't cook
them, John's going to have to."  Viggo paused to consider this.  "Actually,
that's not a bad idea…"

Orlando grinned at him winningly. "Hey, don't worry.  I'll do it.   Just point
me at a barbeque and we'll have dinner in no time.   I'll just have to raid
catering for some seasonings."

Orlando turned his gaze towards the setting sun.  It had almost disappeared
below the horizon, and it reflection trailed across the lake towards them.

"Its so beautiful here.  Its too bad we can't stay here more than one night."

"Yeah, it is too bad.  It really is lovely here."  

Viggo looked up from the fish to take in the spectacular view around him.  It
really was gorgeous - however, he couldn't stop his eyes from moving back to
study the profile of the man stretched out on the dock in front of him.  Orlando
might not realize it, but Viggo found him to be far more beautiful than anything
else around him.   Orlando's face was tilted towards the sun, and the amber
light of the sunset highlighted his cheekbones, and made his skin glow.  He was
breathtaking.  Viggo thought to himself that Orlando was right - it was too bad
that they couldn't stay here.  Not for the first time, he found himself wishing
that it would be just the two of them camping here overnight.  He smiled to
himself, just happy to have this quiet moment alone with the other man.

Orlando tore his gaze away from the sunset, and turned back to his companion. 
He found Viggo looking at him, a small smile on his face.   Viggo's expression
was unguarded and open, and it made Orlando wonder once again if Viggo returned
his feelings.   

"What are you thinking about?" 

Orlando's voice broke Viggo's reverie.  The other man's eyes focused and lost
their dreamy look.     Orlando could have sworn that he saw a blush creep its
way over Viggo's cheeks before he went back to the task of filleting the fish.

"Just thinking about tonight."

"Uh-huh.   Campfire.  Wine.  Starry sky.  It's all good."  An idea occurred to
Orlando - the perfect excuse to steal a moment with Viggo, away from the rest of
the crew.    "I just realized, I haven't seen the night sky properly since I've
been in New Zealand!  Maybe after it gets dark I'll go star gazing.  Wanna come
with me?"

A vision of lying under the stars kissing Orlando flashed into Viggo's mind, and
he couldn't think of anything that he would rather be doing tonight.   Viggo
looked up from his work and held Orlando's glance, letting a smile work its way
across his face.  "Sure.  That sounds great."

Orlando couldn't help grinning right back at him.  "Awesome.  You can teach me
all about the southern constellations - I haven't got a clue what any of them
are."

"Sure.  I learned them all when I was a kid - I think that I remember their
names."

"Well, even if you don't, we can make our own constellations up.  That's what I
used to do when I was a kid."

"That sounds like it would be fun - we could probably make up some more
interesting names for the southern constellations, anyways.  Most of them were
named by scientists, so they've all got names like 'The Clock', and 'The
Microscope'." 

Orlando rolled his eyes.  "Gotta love those scientists.  They should have let an
artist or a poet name them.  I bet you could give them some really great names,
Vig."

"Well, if the inspiration strikes, I might just do that."    Viggo had a feeling
that with Orlando around, there would be no shortage of inspiration - although,
on the other hand, he thought that he might be to distracted by the young man's
presence to give any real thought to the naming of stars and constellations. 

The sun had finally sunk below the horizon, and a chill was setting into the
twilight air.   A breeze moved inland from the lake, raising more goose bumps on
Orlando's skin.  He sat up, and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"It's getting cold." 

Viggo looked over at the other man, who had draped his towel around his
shoulders, and was pulling himself into a tight ball to conserve heat.  "A
little bit.  You should go and change - it's probably not great for you to be
sitting here in wet clothes anyways.  I'll finish up here, then start building
the campfire.   You can get the fish from me when you're warmed up."

"That sounds like a good idea."  As much as he enjoyed hanging out with Viggo,
the cold was beginning to get the better of Orlando - he felt a shiver starting
in his extremities.  He rose to his feet, still clutching the towel around his
shoulders, and started in the direction of the trailers.

"I'll see you back up there, yeah?"  He put his hand on Viggo's shoulder and
squeezed as he reached the other man.    Viggo looked up from his work and
smiled.

"Yeah.  I'll be up shortly."

Viggo watched Orlando's retreating figure as he gracefully made his way over the
rocky landscape towards the production trailers.    Orlando didn't make it too
far before he stumbled upon a rock; the profanity that Orlando uttered brought a
smile to Viggo's face.

Yes, the boy was adorable.  And tonight, Viggo was going tell him that he
thought him so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not long after filming ended, the crew gathered the trailers around the campfire
pit, creating a closed, protected circle for the revelers.   As individuals and
small groups, the cast and crew slowly had made their way to the campfire
circle.  Barrie had ensured everything the group needed was provided - there
were barbeques grilling a variety of food, blankets and camp chairs to sit on,
coolers full of beer and soda, and bottles of wine.  Everything was provided to
ensure that a pleasant, if somewhat tipsy, evening was had by all.  

The campsite was filled with laughter, the happy sounds of people talking and
generally horsing around.   By the time that Viggo had the fire burning
acceptably, Orlando had finished grilling the fish, and they sat down to eat
with John and Bernard at arranged around the fire pit.  

Dinner had been a large and somewhat chaotic event, with people wandering to and
fro with plates of grilled food, glasses of wine.  The conversation was spirited
- laughter filled the air, and all manner of ribald and amusing stories were
told to entertain.   

As the night wore on, the large group of people congregated in a circle around
the campfire.   Each individual in the group bore a smile on their face,
enjoying the company - and also enjoying the bottles of wine, that were being
passed from person to person in the circle.  Barrie told tales of old Hollywood,
leading to the trading of stories and from the films that the attendees had
worked on.  The stories and tall tales became more and more outrageous with each
glass of wine that the storytellers drank.  Before long, boisterous and
enthusiastic singing broke out in the group - the sounds of voices raised in
traditional campfire songs filled the air.  Harmonious trained voices mingled
with those of the unpracticed, and sound of the group's singing could be heard
for miles around the campsite.

Throughout the songs, lively group discussions and laughter, two pairs of eyes
continually drifted towards each.  Whenever Orlando or Viggo caught the other's
glance, a small secret smile was shared between the two before they redirected
their attention back to the discussion at hand.   It wouldn't be long before
their gaze would meet again, each one wishing that it were just the two of them
talking and sharing wine while sitting around the campfire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tongues of red and orange flickered towards the deep black sky.

The fire was a living thing: twisting, contorting and reaching ever upwards. 
The wood was consumed in white-hot blue flame, combusting and transforming into
energy, heat and light.  The blue core gave way to the brilliant orange flame,
which warmed the group gathered around it.    The hiss and crackle of the fire
could be heard above the sound of the conversation, which had retreated to a low
murmur as the night wound down, and individual revelers began to retire for the
night.

Orlando sat staring into the fire, mesmerized by the flames.  He brought the
glass of red wine he was holding to his lips, and took a sip.  He held the wine
glass up so that he was looking at the fire through the glass, causing the wine
itself to look as though it was afire with deep, ruby red flames.  

It had been a good night.   Good friends, good conversation, and now he was
feeling pleasantly mellow as he sat beside the fire enjoying a quiet
introspective moment. He rested his arms on his knees, and looked across the
fire pit, where Viggo was deep in conversation with Bernard.   The flames
created an interesting interplay of amber light and shadow of Viggo's features.  
A slow smile crept over Orlando's face as he allowed himself a moment to indulge
in the pure, aesthetic pleasure of watching his friend in such beautiful light.  

Still, he wished that he had a moment to talk to Viggo, just the two of them. 
His only consolation is that Catherine had not made any advances towards him -
she seemed perfectly happy sipping glasses of wine and talking with Marta.  

Orlando tiled his head back in his chair to look at the sky.    The light from
the flames and the smoke rising from the campfire obscured the sky, making it
difficult to see the stars properly.  It was late now, and Orlando knew that
outside the circle of light cast by the campfire, the sky was deep and dark
despite the glow of the risen moon.  It was the perfect hour for stargazing, and
he intended to make the most of it, even if his true intentions did not include
much stargazing at all.

Quietly, he turned his attention back to Viggo, trying to catch his eye, as the
other man was still in conversation with Bernard.  Inevitably, Viggo's gaze
wandered over to him. Orlando smiled back warmly and he cocked his head in the
direction that he intended to walk.  He raised his eyebrows at Viggo, who did
the same in response, a small secret grin creeping over his features.  

Knowing that Viggo would follow, Orlando put his wine glass down, and got up
from his chair.   Grabbing a blanket and one of the many flashlights available,
he set off in search of a dark spot where the stars would be clearly visible.  
He walked beyond the protective circle of trailers, his flashlight illuminating
the rough terrain in front of him.  He didn't have to walk too far over the
grass and rocks until he found what he considered to be the perfect spot:  a
soft grassy area with a clear view of the sky.

Spreading the blanket down to protect his clothes from the damp earth, he laid
himself down.  Leaving the flashlight on so that he could be easily found, he
stared up into the deep, unbounded darkness of the night sky.  The sight was
almost dizzying and overwhelming - a sea of stars dominated his vision.   The
sight was everything he had hoped for, if not more.  He hadn't seen stars like
this in a long time, and it was easy to get lost in the infinity.

He heard the footsteps approaching before he saw the flashlight tracing a path
along the ground.    He turned his head, and the silhouette of Viggo's body came
into view.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What took you so long?"  Orlando smiled up at Viggo.

"It took me a while to get away from Bernard.  He can talk your ear off if you
give him half a chance."    

Viggo put his flashlight down, and joined Orlando on the blanket.  He laid back,
his body close to the other man's - Viggo could have sworn that he felt the
warmth of Orlando's body radiating towards him, penetrating through his clothes,
and seeping into his skin.   The urge to roll onto his side and wrap an arm
around the other man was powerful, but there were certain boundaries that he
felt couldn't be crossed yet.  So he contented himself with simply being close
to Orlando, and sighed as he took in the beauty that was the night sky.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?"  Orlando's voice was low and reverent, still awed by
the beauty above him.   Viggo turned to look at him, and his breath caught in
his throat.  While the moon dimmed the brilliant light of the stars, its light
had an entirely different effect on Orlando's skin.  He seemed luminescent as he
gazed in open wonder at the sky - his skin almost glowing in the light of moon
and the stars.   

"It really is."   Viggo's reply escaped his lips almost as a whisper.

Caught up in the glory of the skies above him, Orlando remained oblivious to
Viggo's spellbound gaze.  "I just wish I knew what the constellations are - they
look so different here than they do back home.   I mean, I can see Orion over
there near the horizon," he reached out with a slender arm to point to the
constellation. "And Canis Major beside it, but other than that, it's all foreign
to me."

Viggo turned his head to study the night sky above him, trying to recall what he
knew about Southern hemisphere constellations.  "I should have brought my star
charts with me - but I think I remember some of them."

He pointed at the night sky, tracing out a pattern with his finger. "See this
one here?  That's Pyxis, the compass.  And that one there," he traced out
another set of stars, "that's Horologium, the clock."

"I think you're right about what you said earlier - the Southern Hemisphere
constellations really don't have the most exciting names.  I'm going to rename
them."  Orlando pointed to the sky, tracing out several of the brighter stars.
"That short, round group of stars right there?  That's the Hobbit."

Viggo laughed, "It is kind of Hobbit-shaped, isn't it?"

"Little bit.  Why don't you try one?"  Orlando turned to look at his friend, who
had a big smile on his face as he studied the sky.

"Hmmmm.    Well, how about this one - that circular group of stars there?" 
Orlando followed Viggo's motions as he pointed and traced a circle in the sky.
"That's the One Ring."

"Too easy, old man!  You can make rings out of any old set of stars in the sky."

"Oh, like your short, round Hobbit constellation was any better?"

"Sure was - it had a head, feet and everything."

"Okay then - I'll think of another one."   Viggo studied the sky in silence,
intensely aware of the other man breathing quietly beside him.   Scanning the
vast sea of stars above him, his eyes fastened upon a particularly startling
group of stars.  He reached out his arm, and began tracing them.  

"Found one.   This long, slender grouping of stars - that's The Elf.   See those
stars that are almost perpendicular?   He is drawing his bow."   

"Awwwww… Viggo, you made a constellation for me.   That's so sweet!"   

Viggo thought to himself that the stars did not do Orlando justice.   "Well, you
know that Elves, like the constellations, are immortal.  It is only fitting that
they should have constellations named after them."

"What about filthy humans?"   Orlando traced a grouping of stars in the sky. 
"This grouping here?  That's the Man Who Would Be King."

Viggo scrunched his forehead as he tried to see the constellation that Orlando
was drawing for him.   Somehow the pattern was hovering beyond the edges of his
perception, and he couldn't see it.   Wanting to know what it was Orlando was
seeing, he raised his own hand.

"You mean these stars here?"

"Umm, no I don't think so."  Viggo drew a breath when Orlando shifted closer to
him, and placed his head right next to the other man's, so that their gazes were
aligned to the same part of the sky.  Then a small thrill ran through him when
Orlando took Viggo's hand in his own, and raised it to the sky to trace out the
constellation.

"There, you see it?  See the sword by his side?"  

"I think so."  Viggo tried hard to concentrate on the stars above him, and not
the warmth of the hand holding his, and the tangible presence of Orlando beside
him.

"And see the crown of stars that he's wearing?"   Orlando held Viggo's hand as
he traced the shape of a crown out in the stars.

Viggo grinned as his mind finally made sense of the loosely grouped
constellation of stars that Orlando was indicating.  "Yeah - but you know, if
the constellation really is the Man Who Would Be King, he wouldn't have his
crown yet."

"You're right.   Let's name it 'The King' then."

"The King it is."  

Orlando shifted onto his side as he brought their hands back down to the blanket
between them.  He didn't release Viggo's hand; instead he held it in his own,
tracing patterns over it with his thumb.   Though the touch of hand on hand,
skin on skin, was simple, it felt oh-so-incredibly intimate to Viggo.  He could
feel his heartbeat increase in rapidity and his skin begin to warm in response.

"Think we'll see any shooting stars tonight?"  Orlando's low, soft voice made
its way through his consciousness, mingling with the feeling of the thumb moving
on his hand.  

Viggo turned to look at Orlando, and found his breath taken away.  Orlando was
ethereal in his beauty, bathed in moonlight the way he was, and he was regarding
Viggo with a soft smile on his face.  Viggo felt like he was falling under some
spell cast by a creature of moonlight, a beautiful creature inches away from him
with whom his eyes were locked.

He considered the question, his distracted brain trying to recall what he knew
about meteorite showers.  "I honestly have no idea.  I hope so."

"Me too.  I want to make a wish."  

"What do you want to wish for?"  The urge to kiss him was overwhelming.  Viggo's
eyes involuntarily went to Orlando's lips, and he was fascinated when he saw a
pink tongue dart out to briefly wet them - Orlando's subconscious reaction to
the focus of Viggo's attention.   

"You really want to know?"  

Viggo's breath caught when he met Orlando's eyes again, and found that his
expression had changed and become more liquid.   Stringing words together into
coherent sentences was becoming relatively difficult, given the nearness of
Orlando's lips and body, and the heart stopping expression his face.  Simple
words were all Viggo could manage.  

"Yes."     

"This."   

With that one simple word, dark lashes fluttered closed as Orlando bridged the
space between them.

//
TBC