Warnings: Casual blasphemy, swearing, and sex.

Disclaimer: This didn�t happen. Ever. I don�t know these people.

Beta: Jeanette, my Scottish beta Kira, and my content beta Reisling.

Author�s Notes: I stray from canon facts in regards to the grand exodus from New Zealand for the sake of drama, so if such things bother you, be warned. :)

Their shoes squeaked on the floor when they finally pushed the door open. The rain had slowed to a trickle and they both toed off their trainers and peeled off their socks to let them drop heavily to the tile before stepping onto Orlando�s carpet.

�Do you want a drink or anything?� Orlando whispered, as if afraid to fully break the silence they�d been in for the last several minutes, since their rainy automobile embrace and quick trip to get supplies at Billy�s place.

�Water, maybe.� Billy shrugged his bag higher on his shoulder. �Mostly I just want to sleep.�

Orlando slipped quietly past him into the kitchen. A strangely bluish light bathed the living room. The storm made it seem much darker than it was. Sleep wavered at the edges of Billy�s mind and he thought dreamily of sinking into Orlando�s soft sheets and drifting away from this awful, unsettling day.

�Here, mate.� Orlando handed him a cool glass of water and took a long drink out of one of his own.

Billy took a sip, his eyes cast down into the clear liquid in his glass even as he felt Orlando�s gaze heavy upon him. His cheeks heated and he could only hope the darkness hid the color. When Billy lowered his glass, Orlando�s teeth shone white in the dim as he smiled slightly and a bit daftly.

�What?� Billy�s voice rippled against the water as he took another drink.

�Nothing,� Orlando replied. He shrugged boyishly and calmed his smile. �I�m just glad you�re here.�

Billy drowned his own smile in a long draught that finished off his drink.

Orlando slid his arm around Billy�s shoulders. �C�mon, then. I�ll let you choose the side of the bed first.� Billy snorted and let himself be lead down the hallway.

Minutes later, wonderfully comfortable in a pair of dry boxers, Billy cuddled rather childishly into Orlando�s mattress and pulled the covers up to his neck. His mind hazed over, and behind him, he heard Orlando rattling things about on the bedside table.

�Hey,� Billy said.

�What?�

�What are you doing?�

�Setting the alarm in case we don�t wake up.�

Billy leaned over listlessly, eyes still closed, and batted a hand in Orlando�s general direction. �Come here, make out with me.�

Orlando laughed softly and then Billy felt a warm body slide in behind him. His stomach twinged pleasantly as Orlando�s hand slid across his chest.

They kissed so slowly, so luxuriously that from the outside, it must have looked as if they were only barely awake, dreaming in tandem of some more romantic time together in the sand of a warm beach or on a grassy slope beneath a clear blue sky. Later, Billy could only hope he didn�t nod off right in the middle of it, but he couldn�t recall when the kiss ended and his dreams started. He fell luxuriously into a deep and exhausted sleep, completely forgetting that tomorrow, the countdown began.

In less than a month, filming would be finished.

The flurry of work kept them all distracted; they were running from one set to the next, filming here, then filming there, all in an effort to end on schedule with a full, coherent trilogy in the bag. As drained as everyone was and as ready as they all were to go back to their normal lives, more than one filmmaker on the set joked about deliberately ruining a take, just so they�d have to stay bit longer. �Pick ups!� became a cheerful cry, knowing that they would have to be together again someday, here in this country, in these clothes that felt like home, with these people who felt like family. The mood hit Billy hard and he found himself hugging crewmembers he�d barely known, feeling weepy and energized all the while in a way he hadn�t since he�d finished primary school.

At the end of shooting on one of those countdown days, the core group of five, the little band of young ragamuffin actors, the hobbits and the Elf, sat together in a circle on the set. They sang, exchanged jokes, generally talked loudly and made nuisances of themselves. As he settled beside Sean with his other arm around Elijah, Billy imagined the others watched them with envy, wanting to be a part of a group so close and so special. In reality, the daft actors sitting on their lighting kits when they were trying to get packed up probably irritated everyone. Billy knew he and his mates were being exclusive, but when he was inside that circle himself, it was hard to care. And the lighting techs kept their distance, which he supposed was respect and acceptance after a fashion.

He, Elijah, and Sean sat with their arms slung across each other�s shoulders. Dom sat beside Elijah, body turned into him, and if it weren�t for Sean�s equally trapping hug around Orlando�s shoulders, the Elf might have looked entirely unwelcome in their little hobbit cabal; Dom wouldn�t even touch him.

Billy and Dom had rarely spoken in the last few weeks since Dom had made his rainstorm confession, and their friendship had been reduced to morning pleasantries and discussions of the weather. Billy had grown sickeningly used to it, habit forming easily, even when he didn�t want it to.

The only sign he�d had from Dom in days, the only hint of lingering friendship, was that no one knew. Not one of the cast or crew seemed to know anything about him and Orlando. Since the other hobbits weren�t particularly skilled at keeping secrets, Billy felt quite certain that Sean and Elijah didn�t know. And he could not figure out why Dom hadn�t told them. It seemed perfect revenge to spill the big secret that Billy had kept from his best friend, of all people. It would even have been easy for Dom to make sure he wasn�t implicated, if he wanted; gossip was the second occupation of half the people on the set; one well-placed whisper and it would have been everywhere. In a matter of days, Dom would probably have had people telling him that Billy and Orlando were shagging. So Billy couldn�t fathom why Dom hadn�t set the fire burning wildly.

For a tense few days, Billy considered that maybe Dom had something worse in mind. Perhaps he intended to make a grander splash and disrupt Billy�s life in a deeper, more vicious way. But too many months of friendship gave Billy insight: Dom wasn�t the spiteful sort, not really. He would lash out at stupid comments and stupid people, but when wounded, when truly wounded, he took the martyr�s road and suffered silently behind a brave face. Billy thought he saw that brave face now, but then, he�d never been on the receiving end of it before, so it was hard to be sure. He thought that maybe, maybe this meant he and Dom could be okay someday, that someday they could fix this rift and get back to where they were. Maybe.

Whatever motives they held in their heads, Billy acknowledged that they both played their parts beautifully. So, they didn�t always sit next to one another at every get-together, and their solitary get-togethers had come to a dead halt � they could still trade superficial jokes in public and blend in just fine with the other hobbits when communal drinking demanded it. No one could tell the difference and the first time it happened, Orlando had asked him later if he�d made up with Dom and not told him. Billy had said there wasn�t much he didn�t tell Orlando anymore, which was unnervingly true.

Through the laughter and random crooning in their huddle, Elijah spoke up. �Okay, so when�s everybody leaving?�

�Two weeks,� Sean promptly replied.

�Five days,� said Billy.

�Two.� Orlando spoke with his voice strong, but lowered. Billy glanced at him and Orlando looked back, brows drawn stormily together.

�Two days?� Billy repeated, sounding devastated. Fortunately, Elijah and Sean joined him.

�Two days?!� Elijah yelled. �No fucking way, man. That sucks.�

�Man,� Sean sighed. �Two days.� He tugged Orlando close with the arm across his shoulders. �We should go out tomorrow � last hurrah with all of us.�

�Drinks on Orli!� Elijah clapped a hand on Orlando�s knee across their circle. Orlando smiled fondly and shoved Elijah off of him.

That next night, his legs still sore from a day on Treebeard, Billy piled into the taxi beside Sean and Elijah, on their way to pick up Dom and Orlando. He tried hard not to think about the moment, that this was their last day together like this, that this part of his life was coming to an end.

That Orlando�s flight took off in the morning.

�Woo! Hobbits out on the town!� Dom shouted as he ran, fist pumping, to the other side of the taxi to climb in beside Sean. He shoved his way in and didn�t even give Billy glance; Billy hadn�t expected one.

They chose a common hangout, a pub and eatery where Elijah swore the croutons were the best in the world. Billy thought they were too crunchy, truth be told, but the ale was good and cheap, so it didn�t seem to be worth the argument. They pulled together two smaller, round tables, making a figure eight for the five of them to fit around, chairs everywhere. Orlando sat at the top (or perhaps the bottom) of the eight while Billy took his position at the crook in the middle where the tables met. Everyone filled in around them, Dom choosing to sit by Elijah and as far as physically possible from Orlando and Billy both, despite how hard they�d inadvertently made it.

They ate and drank, laughing and talking. They were the boisterous group in the place that night, the one that newcomers avoided and others glanced at, privately hoping the management would silence them � which they did once. After that, the hobbits and Orli kept their revelry somewhat more subdued.

Until his mind snapped back to full reality, Billy didn�t notice how his thoughts tunneled, his ears stopped listening and his eyes saw nothing but Orlando as they all chatted. He felt tethered to Orlando by energy, a thrumming, tickling hum in his veins that enveloped them both, even across the expanse of beer glasses and dinner plates, even when they both talked to someone else. He felt they were together, even when they sat apart. Billy thought with great clarity about all the souls in the world who yearned to feel a connection like this with someone and never did in the whole span of their lives. Here Billy was feeling such a pull and he was still young enough to enjoy it to its fullest. His reticence over the past few months hadn�t simply been stupid and immature, it had been an affront to every romantic who�d never felt intoxicated by someone�s presence and sorely wished they had. So, Orlando made him feel a bit light-heated, a bit warm across his skin, so Orlando scared the hell out of him � what a wonder, what a marvelous thing that another person could have that affect while wielding nothing more than a smile. Maybe it wasn�t such a bad thing to feel unhinged by someone and to feel his own sense of self-control vanishing. Billy turned to take a last swig of his beer, and his eyes just caught on Orlando�s as they flitted over to Sean. Maybe this flutter in his stomach meant Billy was one of the fortunate few who would never wonder how it felt to want beyond reason, who would never wonder how it felt to want someone so much, it changed him as a person. Maybe he was one of the lucky ones.

�Another, Bills?�

Billy turned to see Elijah looking at him expectantly, empty mug dancing on the table. A flood of guilt wiped through him. �You�re not waiting for the lass to come back?� he asked.

�Thought we�d get �em.� Elijah scooted out of his chair as he gestured to Orlando.

Billy just caught the tail end of Orlando�s smile as he looked back to him. Orlando shrugged. �Gal�s got a hundred drunk guys in here,� he said.

�Aye, all right. I�ll take another,� Billy said a bit dazedly, and the guilt grabbed at him again. Last night with this group together, with this nutty band of miscreants in this place and this time. He should be focused and attentive, not drifting dreamily off after Orlando.

He'd learned a lot about Orlando since they'd discovered that those wee asides before sleeping could easily, if not wisely, become full conversations. They�d taken to having lunch together when their schedules allowed, and Billy nearly lived at Orlando�s place; a week�s worth of his clothing, his razor, and his toothpaste had joined the spare toothbrush in the casually messy, cozy house Orlando temporarily called home.

Billy remembered relationships with women when, after a certain point, �girlfriend� became too trite, as if she�d been promoted, but kept her entry-level title. The word skimmed the surface of what she truly was to him. The word became inaccurate. Without his permission, without even his knowledge, in those late night, early morning talks with Orlando, �boyfriend� had become inaccurate.

He looked forward to seeing Orlando each morning, each meal, each night, and when they weren�t together, Orlando was there in his mind. Sitting on the set in quiet moments, Billy felt like he was in a hazy dream, thinking shapeless, unfocused, directionless Orlando-thoughts. He didn�t muse on Orlando�s smile or his laugh or even his lips, though they did get featured for a bit; he simply thought about Orlando and felt good.

When Billy swallowed the last of his beer, he lowered his head to see Dom staring hard at him. Billy smiled kindly, the benign sort of expression he used with Dom these days and Dom looked away, turning even from the table, staring across the room to where Elijah and Orlando both chatted with the serving girl by the bar. Sean glanced with concern between his two tablemates, but Billy rolled his eyes and chuckled; Silly Dom, his eyes said, and Sean chuckled too. The guilt Billy felt deepened considerably.

Elijah returned with a laugh and a shake of his head, Orlando by his side. �Oh, man, Orlando�s an asshole, guys. He just totally fucking lied to our waitress!�

�What�d he say?� Sean eagerly asked.

Orlando and Elijah weaved their way to their seats and squeezed back in. Billy looked over to see Orlando meet his eyes then look away. �Yeah, what�d he say?� Billy asked, quite interested as well.

�She asked him for his number, right?� Elijah leaned forward on the table, enjoying the tale.

�You�re kidding.� Sean shook his head. �She�s cute, too. Lucky elf.� He punched Orlando jokingly on the arm, but Billy suspected Sean wouldn�t have minded if it stung a bit anyway.

�She is, I know. Really cute, lousy motherfucker. So she asks for his number and he says � and shit, he does this whole shy, like, fucking blushing routine; god, you�re such a pansy, Orli � he says, �I�m with someone, actually, but thanks anyways, doll�. Called her fucking �doll�, too. Asshole.� Elijah gently slapped Orlando across the back of his head.

Billy�s mouth quirked in a smile and warmth spread through his chest.

Orlando shrugged. �I had to say something, right?� He barely kept his uncomfortable smile under control.

�Yeah, like, how about, �I�m leaving the fucking country tomorrow, how do you feel about phone sex?�� Elijah balked. �But no, you cold-hearted bastard.� He laughed and clinked his glass against Orlando�s. �Should have gotten her number and given it to me. I�m here for another two weeks!�

�You can leave your number as a tip.� Orlando popped a crouton in his mouth. �And my tip�ll be, �Don�t call�.�

Billy laughed while Elijah pounded Orlando�s arm for good measure, and as he tipped his head back to swallow the last dregs of his beer, he caught Dom�s eyes flicker from Orlando to him, and then away again. The final warm trickle of beer slid down his throat and Billy sighed, fogging his upturned glass.

�I gotta piss,� Dom said gruffly, and he slid out of his chair.

Billy counted to ten, then fifteen, and then followed with his own blaming nod toward the empty glasses of beer on the table. �Aye, me too,� he said. Orlando watched him, he knew, but Billy didn�t look back.

He entered the loo and took his place a space away from Dom in the chorus line of pissing men at the urinals. He glanced up at the mirror, inspecting Dom�s down turned face, and then quickly lowered his eyes before Dom caught him looking. One should never be caught peeping in the loo. Dom zipped up, and Billy peed as fast as he could. He shut his fly, careful not to pinch any tender bits, and took quick steps to the sink beside Dom. The water trickling in the faucet matched the sound of the men at the urinal behind them. Billy scrubbed his hands and turned, dripping, to the dispenser of paper towels. He dried off, the cheap paper towel scraping over his skin. He slowly, slowly dried his hands, the dampening paper shredding apart... And Dom seemed to be taking an unnaturally long time washing his hands. Billy was growing dangerously close to looking like a guy lingering in the loo.

He lifted his eyes to the stained ceiling and wondered why it occurred to him to have a conversation about man-on-man activities in a toilet. Tradition, perhaps: man-on-man activities took place in loos all the time, all over the world. Billy snorted a laugh at his own observation just as a man sauntered out, casting Billy a strange, rather warning look. Billy felt tempted to assure the man he wasn�t his type, but he was distracted from potentially starting a brawl by Dom�s trainers squealing softly on the wet floor. Billy tossed his wadded up paper towel toward the trash bin and missed.

Giving Dom an awkward, consciously light and friendly smile, Billy strolled over to hand him a dry paper towel for his wet hands. Dom accepted it with barely a glance.

�Any chance we�re gonna get past this?� Billy asked, sparing a glance at a pissing stranger at the urinals. He found it startling how much it still hurt to see Dom and not be able to laugh with him or stand by him at the urinals and take a piss while talking shite about someone out in the pub.

Dom shrugged and wiped his hands.

�Well, then, can I say one thing?� Dom didn�t answer, so Billy continued, voice lowered for privacy, �For whatever it�s worth � and I get that that�s not a lot, likely � you�re my best mate and I � I, well, I love you, you twat, and I�m sorry it�s not the way you want me to maybe, but I do and my life is better with you in it, so I hope we can get past this. Believe me, I didn�t start any of this...stuff with Orlando on purpose, but you can�t really control this stuff, can you? I think that�s what I�m figuring out. You can�t help it.� Billy rubbed a hand across his smoothly-shaved chin. �That�s more than one thing, isn�t it? To sum up: You�re my best mate, Dommie. Still. Will be until you tell me otherwise, all right? And that stands for, like, years. You want to be mates again, just say the word.�

Dom looked right at him, lobbed his towel into the bin � nothing but net - and walked out without a sound. Billy let out a long, deep sigh, and noticed the urinating man watching him discreetly in the mirror. Billy smiled uncomfortably. �Have a nice night, then, eh?� he called, and hurried out the door.

When Billy arrived back at the table, Sean was already slipping his coat on. �Ending the evening, are you, mate?� Billy asked as Dom and Elijah shrugged theirs on as well.

Sean shrugged in apology. �We have call tomorrow. Have to be up early.�

�Right.� Elijah leaped unsteadily to his feet. ��Cause they might fire us if we�re late. Can�t do shite about it now, can they? Ha! Film�s almost done. Let�s go get tattoos on our foreheads!� At that point, Dom and Sean both joined him in his victory shuffle out the door. Orlando and Billy shared a quiet glance and followed.

�My place is closest!� Elijah called. He crawled onto Billy�s lap in the taxicab in a tipsy, subtly emotional hug, a loose-limbed body not ready to say goodbye. He sweatily and affectionately clung to Billy. Billy commiserated. He closed his arms around Elijah and rested his head on his shoulder. Closeness like this was intoxicating, and Billy tried to lose the gnawing regret in his heart in the scent and warmth of Elijah. He felt so nostalgic, he thought he might throw up.

Dom slid in next to Billy, hiding the tenseness of his movements by jabbing Elijah in the stomach. �Stupid head.�

�Dumb face,� Elijah quickly countered.

�Mine�s the farthest!� Orlando tripped on the edge of door and fell into the cab. His head banged against Dom�s thigh and Elijah laughed out long and loud.

�Oooh, shit, Orli, man! You okay? That�s a graceful Elf!�

They all � even Billy � cackled teasingly as Orlando crawled forward and turned to set his arse on the seat. He lifted his hands in triumph. �No one,� he said, �and I mean no one, gets out of character faster than I do. Take note, boys. That�s brilliance, that is.�

�I�m impressed,� Sean said with mock sincerity as he slid into the front seat and cast a friendly hello to their driver.

�I�d be more impressed if you were any good at getting in character.�

Sean and Elijah both cooed at Dom�s dry comment, howling with laughter at the playful insult that Billy suspected it wasn�t so playful. He couldn�t blame Orlando for the finger he gave Dom in reply.

�My house is the farthest away,� Orlando said again, seating himself.

Sean turned, nearly leaning over the seat. �Guys. We�ve done this. Shut up. �It�s Elijah, then me, Billy, Dom and then Orlando.� Sean spun back around and gestured to the road. �A right up there,� he told the driver.

�Well, actually,� Billy started, but Sean didn�t hear him.

�First place is on Alexandra,� Sean directed, and the cab turned.

Billy cast a glance at Orlando, but looked away before their eyes met. He pressed his forehead against Elijah�s shoulder. It bowed his back a bit, putting a sliver of space between his chest and Elijah�s side; Billy thought Elijah might have been able to feel his heart pounding. He tried to think of what to say to casually change the order of things, so that he and Orlando could have this night together, but his mind gave him nothing, not a word, nothing he wanted to say, anyway. Everything he could think of would lead to questions and Billy didn�t want to spark this discussion tonight; they only had a few hours left together.

Billy breathed in deeply, realizing how strongly Elijah smelled of cigarette smoke and how much he�d miss the scent, and he decided to say nothing. He�d been distracted too long and neglected them too much in this newfound �something� he had with Orlando. It wasn�t fair. He�d lost Dom, and it just wasn�t fair. Billy ignored the digging hollowness in his heart, lifted his head and jokingly bit at his good friend Elijah�s arm.

�My house is closer than Bill�s.� Dom coughed after the words roughly left his mouth, interrupting Elijah�s laughter.

Billy turned to Dom who sat with one foot propped up on the seat back in front of him.

�Say again?� Sean peered over his shoulder.

�My house is closer than Billy�s,� Dom repeated. �A whole twenty meters; I measured it once. You should let me out first.�

Sean shrugged. �Whatever,� he said.

Dom stared forward and refused to meet Billy�s eyes.

First Elijah got out. Then Sean. Both stops took longer than usual: Orlando received extensive goodbye hugs, loving insults, and even a big smooch on the lips from Elijah, after which they both promptly wiped their mouths. But soon enough, the taxi was on the road again, with exactly three passengers.

Dom instructed the cabbie toward Orlando�s house without hesitation. Billy and Orlando didn�t dare glance at one another.

The passing street lights cast alternating patterns of light and dark, slanted rays that pierced through the windows and illuminated the filthy floor, and three sets of feet idly, nervously shifting and tapping. Dom�s jacket just touched Billy�s arm; only a fabric connection. After several silent seconds, Dom reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small wrapped lollypop. With loud crinkling, he pulled off the paper and slipped the little nob-ended candy into his mouth. The white stick stuck out like a skinny French cigarette.

�Oh.� With feigned casual remembrance, Dom reached back into his pocket and pulled out two more lollypops. He extended one each to Billy and Orlando on either side of him, one in each hand and his own lollypop poking from between his lips. �Oral fixation?� he asked cheekily, and he looked back and forth between the two of them.

Orlando pursed his lips in irritation, still suspicious. Billy grabbed the lollypop out of Dom�s right hand. �Thanks, mate,� he said. He unwrapped the candy and sucked on it tensely. Orange flavor, too. His least favorite by far.

Dom made the other lollypop dance around in front of Orlando before it was snatched out of his hand. Orlando glanced at Billy, received a shrug in reply, then opened his own lollypop and slipped it cautiously into his mouth, as if Dom might have tainted it somehow.

�What flavors you guys got?� Dom asked.

�Cherry. Strawberry � something red.� Orlando licked his lips after answering.

�Orange.�

�Aw, shite,� Dom said. �I got other flavors if you want.�

�Don�t worry about it.�

�You sure?�

�I�m sure.�

�You really, really sure?�

�I�ve been surer, but I�m pretty sure. Orange is fine.�

�Okay,� Dom said with a shrug. �If you�re sure.�

Billy rolled the lollypop to the side of his mouth where it clacked against his bottom teeth. �I�m sure,� he said.

They continued the rest of the way in silence.

At Orlando�s house, Dom clambered out to make way for Billy to exit the taxi, not noticing that Billy simply opened the other door and got out there. But as Billy rounded the back of the cab, anticipating quietly hostile goodbyes, Dom grabbed and hugged him close. �I want to be mates again,� he whispered on grape-scented breath.

Billy�s smile widened, starting deep in his heart. �You�re an idiot, mate,� he replied affectionately in Dom�s ear.

Dom pulled back to grin at him, winking as he twisted the lollypop around in his mouth. �Eh, you�re not that much of a prize anyway.�

�Exactly.� He hugged Dom again. Elation; Billy felt as though his chest were full of helium, light, elevating air. He grinned. �I�ll see you tomorrow, right? Breakfast on me, meaning that I�ll go through the catering line and pick stuff out for you, if you want.�

�I don�t eat porridge, Bill. Get that through your fucking head.�

Billy released Dom with a laugh and raised his eyes to see Orlando standing awkwardly nearby.

After a second of hesitation, Dom pulled Orlando into a shallow hug, but Orlando tugged him tightly to him with enveloping arms. �I�m sorry,� Orlando murmured. Dom�s arms slowly rose to return the embrace. Orlando pulled back and gave Dom a big smacking kiss on his forehead. �You�re fantastic, you bugger.�

�You too, you dumbfuck,� Dom replied. The surprise in his voice made Billy believe he�d meant it. Dom hugged Orlando again, their heads switching sides as if embracing Godfather-style kept it manly.

Then, Dom stepped aside and his eyes lowered sheepishly. �Uh, good night, you guys.� He slurped loudly on his lollypop, and then wiped his mouth. Brave face in place, he winked again. �Do all sorts of shite that I would do, right?� He ducked into the cab and shut the door before they could say another word.

Billy turned toward the house, but soon realized Orlando hadn�t followed, so he stopped. He stood silently beside Orlando as the taxi drove off, kicking up gravel.

�Christ,� Orlando said after a long silence. The word was like a punctuation mark. �He�s a better man than I am.� He fished in his pocket, jangling his keys. �You can borrow my car, if you want to go after him.� He let out a jolt of casual, self-conscious laughter.

�I call the left side of the bed,� Billy said, and turned to stroll up the front walk to the door. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps trotting to catch up.

Orlando unlocked the door and swung it wide for Billy to enter. The sight of the living room was like a punch to the gut. �Oh, shite,� Billy breathed.

�I know, it�s weird, isn�t it?� Orlando tossed his keys atop a cardboard box, which was nearly all that was left, save for the scant furniture that came with the home.

�Weird� was one word for it, but Billy thought several others fit much better, �fecking awful� for one. �You�re all ready to go?� he asked.

�Mostly. Just have some clothes to throw in my suitcase. My toiletries and stuff.� Orlando slipped his hands into his jeans� pockets. �This stuff�ll be shipped home by...Doris, or somebody. Some lady in the production company is going to handle it. That�s what they told me.�

Billy flipped open a loose lid and peered inside. Rows of DVDs and CDs filled it to the brim. He glanced at the size of the box. �I hope this Doris lady brings some dollies along.�

�I did pack some of them sort of heavy. Think I should lighten �em?�

Billy slid his hands around the box and experimentally hoisted it up a few inches. He let it back down with a heaved breath. �Nah. A real man can lift it.�

�Then, let�s hope Doris brings one of those, too.� Orlando shrugged with a smile.

Billy straightened his shirt from where it�d ridden up against the box and cast his eyes around. They stood silently, hands in pockets.

�Oh, I have your stuff in the bedroom.� Orlando gestured vaguely down the hall. �Your toothbrush is still in the bathroom, though. I left that stuff there. Thought you might want to wash up, take a shower or something.�

�Aye, thanks.�

In the bathroom, Billy vigorously brushed his teeth and stared into his pale, washed out reflection in the mirror. The lights always seemed unforgivably bright in a room he was more familiar with by candlelight. He stood sideways, and let his belly relax. It pouched out a bit over the top of his jeans. He quickly sucked in and looked down from the mirror to spit into the sink.

Last night, he thought. Last night, last night, last night. The thought resounded in his head, but didn�t grab hold. They were just words and didn�t create the corresponding feeling that Billy knew they should.

He looked in the mirror again, pressing a hand to an errant strand of hair sticking up. He didn�t want to grab Orlando and have some frantic tousle. Denial sounded like a reasonable course of action; just fall asleep and pretend this wasn�t the last night, pretend like they had all the time in the world to do what they want to do, so there was no mad need to do all of it tonight.

With a deep breath, he left the bathroom and padded down the hallway to Orlando�s bedroom. Orlando had already stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt. He looked up when Billy came in. His eyes were large and examining, trying to gauge what to do. Billy turned his back to him, unzipped his jeans to let them fall to the floor, then slid under the covers, never once glancing back. He rested his head on the pillow and stared forward. His heart pounded.

Scarcely a second later, the mattress sank beneath Orlando�s weight and the bedside lamp clicked off. The shadows in the room widened and spread.

Billy flipped over and slid across worn cotton. He snaked his arms around Orlando�s shoulders, hooked a leg over his hip, and tucked his head beneath Orlando�s chin. �You tired?� he asked.

Orlando nestled cozily against him and let out a sigh. �Not really.�

Billy ran his fingers through the hair at Orlando�s temples. It was such an oddity to feel the hair beginning to curl itself once again after having been shaved for nearly a full year. Such soft threads, really, like newborn hair. They rested together like that for some time; Billy lost track of just how long. They talked about the shoot and different stories from home, idle talk that all avoided one topic: leaving. But that presence still weighed. It was a porous rock in Billy�s stomach.

Eventually, though, they talked of how great it had been here and how much they would miss. They found soon enough that they�d miss pretty much everything.

�I�m going to miss the smell of foot glue,� Billy mumbled softly. He rubbed his face gently against Orlando�s cheek and Orlando chuckled. �And prosthetics, and that vomit-y, rubbery smell after a two hundred pound, muscle-bound guy has been wearing it all day. I�ll miss catering�s porridge after it�s been sitting in a crock-pot all morning and it�s gotten all gummy like sludge. Mmmmm...sludge. I�ll miss...� A weta chirped outside, so loud that Billy felt Orlando jump slightly in his arms. He laughed and raised his head to the window over Orlando�s shoulder. �I�ll miss the fucking loud wetas. Get out of my flowerbed, you bastard!�

When he moved to settle back into his place, he found Orlando staring at him, a brow raised archly.

�What?� Billy asked.

�It�s my flowerbed.� Orlando smirked. �All at home now, are you?�

�Oh, aye. I claim this land for Scotland.� Billy smiled, but couldn�t stop the yawn that broke the expression.

�Should we sleep?� Orlando asked just as the yawn passed to him.

�Probably.�

They stared at one another for a moment, then two, then far into the time where staring became gazing. Billy stroked infant curls at Orlando�s temple and choruses about haunting eyes drifted through his mind. He felt more drunk than the alcohol could have gotten him; the emotional intoxication of connection, of feeling that someone understood him at the rhythm and throb of his heart, and the words hovered between them. They gazed at one another and it was as if they could both sense it so strongly in the air that it became silly not to say it. It was so bloody obvious that now was the perfect time.

�When do you have to wake up?� Billy broke the heavy silence at last and the sentence was such an ill fit to the space it filled, he looked away from Orlando�s eyes. His cheeks burned with shame.

�Early. The taxi comes at six-thirty.�

�Six-thirty?� Billy glanced at the clock. Only five hours.

�Flight takes off at half ten. Have to check in early for international flights.�

Billy rubbed a hand mindlessly across Orlando�s back, his mind puzzling out the possibility of going to the airport with him, maybe driving him himself, but he couldn�t. He still had to work tomorrow. Orlando had finished before him. Instead of speaking, he rolled over and stretched out. Behind him, he heard Orlando tugging the blankets and settling into the mattress.

Billy tried not to think about it, but his sense of time clicking by was as keen as though he held the clock in his chest, as though his blood and skin could feel the slow movement of the sun on the other side of the earth as it came nearer. He couldn�t shake the sensation of impatience and anxiety. Everything was ending too quickly.

To the vibrating thud of his heart, Billy drifted into a tense, unhappy sleep. He shifted about, more than he usually did; twisting and turning uneasily beneath his covers.

At a quarter past two, Billy�s eyes blinked open to see Orlando�s sleepily do the same in front of him. In quiet, mutual consent, Orlando rolled atop Billy and they grasped one another, kissing, and despite every effort to the contrary, they tasted like desperation.

Billy closed Orlando�s hips between his thighs and pawed lustfully at him. Hot breath ebbed between them, even their moaning whispered as if any sound might wake up the rest of the world and shatter the moment. Billy glided his fingers over the soft skin and firm muscles at Orlando�s waist, pushing the fabric of his shirt upward. Orlando�s mouth broke from him with a heated pant and he helped Billy to tug his shirt off. As soon as the shirt cleared Orlando�s head, Billy strained up to claim his mouth again, his tongue pushing deeply and wetly inside.

He knew what they were doing, what they�d already done numerous times before this: They were making love.

Orlando slid a warm hand down past the waistband of Billy�s boxers, smoothing over side and hip. Billy arched and broke off the kiss with a soft, �Uh-uh. I want to do something.�

�What? Is something wrong?�

�Nothing. Nothing at all.� Billy smiled.

Orlando�s eyes were impossibly dark, glittered pin-points in the half light, his skin perfect and pale, as he watched Billy�s movements with a passion-parted mouth. With a soft nudge, Billy ushered Orlando onto his back and slid over him, his mouth fastening onto a wide nipple. Orlando groaned lightly, a recognizable smile distorting the sound, and a hand swept firmly across Billy�s back. A thrill sped to Billy�s cock and he nipped � and he took his time, liberally laving each nipple. Not a single self-conscious thought came through his mind, not a single worry that maybe Orlando would think him weird for spending so much time on his nipples, that Orlando was done with foreplay and would prefer Billy moved his attentions elsewhere, that Orlando was disappointed with how little they�d done thus far tonight. Billy�s mind thought on nothing but feeling good and sharing that with Orlando; sex at its best; and he wasn�t even self-conscious enough to realize he�d never been less self-conscious.

Leaving nipples peaked and rosy, Billy�s mouth ventured down. He tongued and kissed Orlando�s abdomen as his own settled against a more demanding body part below. Orlando�s legs shifted and rose, aiding Billy as he guided the boxers down and off his body. Settling back into the bed, Billy took Orlando in an experienced hand; he knew how to do this now; and he skated his fingers over thighs and bollocks, before stroking a palm across shaft and head.

Billy�s heart pounded and his felt himself trembling, but didn�t know if it were fear or eagerness. He suspected it was likely both, so he didn�t give himself time to think, or analyze, or speculate what it might say about them or him or the world. He took a deep breath, pressed a final kiss to Orlando�s navel, and then slid his mouth down to take Orlando inside.

�Ah, god,� Orlando gasped. �Oh.� And his voice gave way to heavy breaths and moaning. He didn�t pause to remind Billy he didn�t have to do it or that it wasn�t expected; Billy knew all of that. He wanted to do it, and he bet Orlando knew that, too.

Billy swirled his tongue back and forth across the head, mapping and memorizing the feel. It was incomparable. Smooth, but so strange in its firmness while still being skin and flesh. He groaned as a sudden wave of arousal burnt through him; he got harder just having Orlando in his mouth. He liked this. Hell, he loved this; the feel of taut skin against his tongue, the flawless, almost velvet feel of the head, but most of all, he loved the sounds Orlando made. The gasps, the half-moans, the hisses of pleasure and the words that started out to be �Billy� and continually dissolved into �oh, god� as if Orlando were in such rapture, he was having trouble telling the two apart. Billy loved that more than anything. The way he could make Orlando feel. Wanting to smile, but more wanting to continue to suck and stroke with his mouth, he lead his hands up across Orlando�s belly and then curved his fingers around his waist, his thumbs coming to rest on the ridges of Orlando�s hipbones. At that exact moment, while his hands glided into their place, Orlando arched his back and the perfect synthesis of movement burned itself into Billy�s mind. His fingers gliding and gripping, as Orlando�s body curved into a graceful arch, like they�d planned it, their bodies responding and anticipating one another.

�God, you�re so hot,� Orlando murmured, sounding dazed, and Billy felt sexy. He stroked his hands over Orlando�s knees and thighs. The muscles jumped and hardened as Orlando fought to keep his hips in Billy�s control. Billy let his fingers trip pleasantly over the dips and rises of hips and hamstrings, carved stone for calves, and tight, chorded ankles. He couldn�t recall why he�d ever desired softness. This was so much more intense.

Cautiously, Billy let one hand drift downward, cupping and stroking, gently rolling bollocks in his grasp. Orlando hissed pleasantly, and a subtle, happy laugh broke from him. His hips shuddered, then struggled to still again. Billy recognized the warning signs and felt the heat rising in Orlando as if it were his own. He let his hands wander up over arms and stomach to slide his fingers along the very bottom edge of Orlando�s sharp jaw line. It moved, opening in a choked cry against Billy�s touch. Orlando�s skin felt hot and damp, and strangely, the thought occurred to Billy that Orlando felt beautiful. He wanted to see this. He opened his eyes and let Orlando slip from his mouth, only to trap him fully between their bodies, his own cock pressed close. Orlando gasped at the change in texture and his eyes shot to Billy�s.

Billy hovered over him, staring down, their eyes locked, bodies stacked and still undulating with lust. One elbow dug deep into the mattress, holding up enough to watch, and fingers stroked through Orlando�s short hair. Orlando�s brows were drawn close together in an expression resembling pain, echoing sadness, but having nothing to do with either. Billy�s hand stood out pale against the gentle red of Orlando�s cheeks, which were flushed and beaded with sweat. His mouth hung open, panting, and Billy slid his thumb along the moist bottom lip. Moaning softly, Orlando slipped his tongue out languidly, licking the pad of Billy�s thumb, then pressed his lips together, as if trying to kiss it, but lacking the strength.

Billy watched, eyes wide and drinking in. Orlando blinked self-consciously, but held the gaze as they rubbed against one another, building slick friction. Determined courage showed in his eyes and Billy knew what it must have been taking for him to look him in the eyes, to bear this intimacy, because it was difficult even for Billy. He knew how old he was, how short, how thin his hair and how oddly boyish his face, and when he peered into the brown eyes before him, it was as if he could see the faults and weaknesses, the carefully hidden shyness and fear, that Orlando saw in himself and yet, Billy thought him the most thrillingly beautiful sight he�d ever seen. And when Orlando lifted a hand to stroke Billy�s cheek, adoration radiating from him, Billy trembled at the thought � the knowledge, perhaps � that Orlando was thinking the very same of him.

Orlando craned his neck up to press a kiss to Billy�s mouth and then relaxed back, his eyes still open and blazing. �I�m close. I�m so close, so close,� he babbled. �Touch me. Oh, god, please, please, keep touching me.� A few final erratic thrusts of their hips and Orlando�s climax burnished through him. His shoulders rolled and his chest pressed forward as his back bowed, a concave wave, and then, he let out a rough, deep sigh. If the first orgasm of Orlando�s that Billy had been privileged to see had been the hottest of his life, this one was the most sensuous, the most passionate. This one was much, much better.

As Orlando sighed in contented exhaustion, Billy looked down at the whitish fluid cooling on his stomach and, in not so many words, he dared himself to lick it clean. Fingers stroking listlessly across his scalp, Billy lowered his head again and swiped his tongue flat across Orlando�s abdomen. Seawater. It instantly made him think of when he tasted water in the ocean; salty enough his instinct was to spit it out. But it would hardly be polite to spit. He swallowed roughly, forcing the unfamiliar liquid down. The warmth of it slid slickly down his throat to his stomach and it wasn�t exactly a pleasant sensation; it was too peculiar for that; but it settled any latent nervousness he felt. It was right to have done it, even if it was a little sticky. The hiss of pleasure Orlando made when Billy gently lapped at the wet tip of his cock made any taste deficiencies utterly unimportant.

He crawled back up Orlando�s sweat-sheened, panting body, kissing his stomach and chest as he went. He pressed his lips against the strong curve of Orlando�s shoulder and felt Orlando�s hands lift lethargically to thread through his hair and a soft mouth touched weakly against his neck. �Mmmm,� Orlando breathed with intent, as if it had begun as an actual word in his mind, but his voice lacked the energy to follow through.

�How was that?� Billy asked.

�I love � � Orlando kissed his shoulder. �I loved that.� His lips curled against Billy�s skin as he smiled. �Just make sure you brush your teeth before you kiss me.�

�Ha,� Billy said as he slanted his mouth across Orlando�s, his tongue sweeping deep. Orlando�s body seemed to surge, arching to touch as much of Billy as he could, and a low, hot moan reverberated in his throat.

�Mmm.� Orlando hummed again as their lips parted. Then, with coy eyes raised, he reached beneath Billy�s boxers to grasp him firmly between the legs. Billy exhaled through a grin and pressed his forehead to Orlando�s damp shoulder. �What do you want?� Orlando whispered.

�This is � uhh � this isn�t bad,� Billy said. His back bowed, lifting his head from Orlando�s body, his hips pushing indecently into Orlando�s fist.

�Want anything else?�

�No � no, ahh.� Billy stroked a clumsy hand through Orlando�s hair, pressing his weight into the pillow so he could look down at the man beneath him. �No. This is perfect.� He kissed Orlando, and it would have been sweet and romantic if he hadn�t grunted like a warthog right when he did it, which was Orlando�s fault for flicking his thumb like that.

When he came, Billy didn�t know if he looked sexy or silly, but he had Orlando touching him, Orlando�s eyes looking up at him, and Orlando�s body under him when he collapsed in satisfaction. That was about as good as he supposed it ever got.

Billy closed his eyes, nearly falling asleep even as Orlando wiggled out from under him, his moment of sleepiness already gone. Billy carelessly nestled into the warmth where Orlando had been, claimed the pillow and let out a long yawn. Over him, Orlando laughed and when Billy rolled onto his back and opened his eyes, he saw the sheet billowing around them like a great tent. It floated slowly down, grasped to Orlando�s head, and with a grin, Orlando lowered himself down atop Billy, aligning their bodies and closing them within the warm cocoon of the sheet. �It�s cold out there,� Orlando said.

�Ach. Watch your bony knees, mate.� Billy nudged Orlando as he nearly kneeled on his thigh. Orlando shifted his weight and rested his head on Billy�s chest, just beneath his chin. �Oof,� Billy said, �you�re too heavy.�

Orlando tucked the long sheet under Billy�s pillow, draping it over their heads and closing them in warmth. �Shut it.� He settled into position and let out a slow, deflating sigh. He sounded happy.

Billy let fatigue take him over again, his hand drifting listlessly down the nape of Orlando�s neck, across the warm skin of his back. Orlando lay spread out comfortably atop him, his own hips a nice weight across Billy�s. His soft breaths blew across Billy�s shoulder. �Are your feet hanging off the end of the bed?� Billy asked.

�Yeah.� Orlando snickered slightly.

Billy laughed. He closed his arms around Orlando, clasping him loosely in his embrace. The sheet draped over his head, a ghostly white in the darkness. Billy gazed up at it and closed his eyes. �I love you,� he said.

For a moment, Orlando didn�t move; his body even ceased the subtle rise and fall of breathing. Then, the arms around Billy tightened almost painfully. Billy gripped back just as tight, and happily, peacefully fell asleep.

The alarm sounded at six on the dot and Billy snuffled to consciousness when the shoulder beneath his head moved. He opened his eyes, only to shut them again immediately when a mouth pressed to his forehead. �Stay and sleep,� Orlando whispered. �I�m just gonna be throwing stuff in my suitcase.�

�I�ll keep you company.� Billy�s voice was little more than a mumble as Orlando climbed out of bed. Billy rolled over and got comfortable, ready to watch and chat as Orlando packed. His eyes followed Orlando across the room toward his suitcase. He fell back asleep before Orlando got there.

Billy awoke to the sound of a suitcase clicking shut. His heart sank in his chest and he opened his eyes to see Orlando setting his bags down in the doorway. Then, Orlando turned and met Billy�s gaze, staring down with the strangest expression on his face. It was almost blank, but his eyes were sad and confused. He wore jeans and a t-shirt with a worn jumper, his black knitted skullcap tugged over his head. Lying in bed in nothing at all, Billy felt underdressed.

�You have my phone number, right?� Orlando asked.

�Aye. And your address. I�ll write you.�

�Me too.� Orlando shifted on his feet, that odd look in his eyes darting about anxiously. One hand twisted a fistful of the loose denim on his legs.

Orlando moved forward in a fluid motion to slip his hand behind Billy�s head and kiss him. Billy readily kissed him back, sliding a hand to Orlando�s wrist. It was wet and passionate, and good god, Billy thought, it felt like Goodbye. When they parted, Orlando laughed humorlessly and gave a smile that more closely resembled a wince. �I�m a fucking coward,� he said, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to Billy�s. �Remember that.�

�Okay,� Billy replied, and Orlando kissed him once more before standing up from the bed.

Turning to his suitcases, Orlando sniffled once and wiped discreetly at his eyes. �Stay as long as you want, okay? Sleep in.�

�I�ll fold up the sheets.�

�Yeah, okay.�

Outside, the taxi putted slowly nearer and honked.

�Right, okay.� Orlando picked up his suitcases and glanced back at Billy. �Uh, bye. Sleep well.�

�Thanks. Have a good flight.�

�Yeah, okay. Bye.� And Orlando walked out the door.

Billy waited a few moments until he heard the front door close and the taxi drive off into the morning, tires crunching over gravel. His eyes burned, so he closed them and fell slowly asleep, already composing the first letter he would send to Orlando.

It would be heartfelt and poetic. He would cast off the doubt and worry that had so plagued them here. He would tell Orlando how he really felt, all the thoughts he�d kept so hidden all this time, and this letter would be the beginning of something new. It would be the beginning of something better.

To be concluded in Billy�s Best Reunion...