Disclaimer: This didn�t happen. Ever. I don�t know these people and more importantly, they don�t know me. I am not making any profit except for my own enjoyment.

Warnings: This chapter contains mild het content, but it�s all in the name of slash. (With me writing, could it be in the name of anything else?) And cliffhanger. I suppose I should warn for that since this series hasn�t really had one of those before. Eeep.

Beta: My special thanks, as always, to my Scottish beta Kira. Without her, my Billy would probably sound like he�s from the United States and I think that would ruin the series. My thanks also to Jeannette, Roska, and Robyn for catching my typos and making great suggestions. All mistakes and vernacular inaccuracies are now my own.

Research: Thank you to Reisling for the following link and to Kira for her impeccable kilt knowledge (which is utilized more significantly in Part 2). This chapter is based on a fan account of the costume/formal Cast and Crew ball during the LotR shoot (http://www.theonering.net/archives/spy_reports/7.23.00-8.09.00), but I�ve just used that as a spring board, so there�s little to no adherence to the sequence of events listed in that account. My apologies to the gods of canon. Please, don�t smote me!

Pull: British slang, meaning pick up, chat up. �He�s going to pull a girl at the party�, �going on the pull�, etc.

The night before the ball, Orlando gave Billy a toothbrush. After the day Billy had had � his Hobbit feet had come off twice, his cloak had gotten torn, an amateur Gondorian had accidentally smacked him on the back of the head with a rubber sword � it was an immeasurable luxury to be able to brush his teeth with a real toothbrush instead of his finger and he went to bed that night with cleaner teeth, fresher breath and a healthy dose of gratitude.

The morning of the ball, Billy gave Orlando a kiss on the forehead. Orlando hadn�t awakened as Billy crept silently through the room in the darkness of dawn, leaving early to don his Hobbit feet. The night before, they�d both been more than knackered. They�d barely managed to stay awake through their good night snog, so to try anything more ambitious would have been to pass idealistic and land firmly in preposterous. They�d both been content with just sleep.

The day of the ball, Billy gave Orlando a vague, rather flirty warning. They saw each other briefly by the trailers. Billy had winked and told Orlando he hoped he�d slept well. Because no one knew how long the night would last. Then, he�d walked on, going where Pippin was needed.

The evening of the ball, Orlando gave Billy a glinting, secretive smile, and Billy knew he�d successfully pulled the best-looking human in the room before the party had even begun.

So, by the time the ball actually started, everything else was just a bonus.

Reveling silently in his success, Billy relaxed back in his chair, gazing upon the table with the sort of languid, amused smile mastered only by the supremely sloshed. Life is good, he thought. Life is really, really, really, really quite actually really very good. He had good mates, great mates, the best mates on Earth, in fact, he had the best mates in Middle-earth, too � the best mates in two earths � he felt great, had pulled the hottest guy in the room, came from the greatest country on the whole planet, had the best job anyone could think of and � and...he was getting positively pished on the company dime. Life simply couldn�t improve right now.

Billy looked over to the seat beside him just in time to see a giant bug in a three-piece suit slowly, almost meditatively turn his compound eyes toward him.

�Hello, Dom.�

�How are you, Bill?� Dom�s voice came out muffled through his sequined bug mask, but there was no mistaking that certain slur to it. So far, by Billy�s calculations, two thirds of the Fellowship was plastered. Things were not looking good for the fate of Middle-earth.

�I�m good.� Billy grinned at Dom, his laughter catching somewhere in his throat as he watched the enormous insect head sway. They greeted one another simply because they had happened to look directly at one another; Dom had been sitting beside him for over an hour. The Hobbits and the Elf had claimed this table as their own and had sown the earth with a forest of empty bottles and glasses. Using a shrimp fork thieved from the hors d'oeuvre table, Orlando carved them a small castle out of the block of green oasis foam from the base of the centerpiece. The discarded flowers had been scattered through the forest for decoration, though lilies stuck out from behind Sean and Elijah�s ears and Billy held a red carnation in his mouth from time to time.

It�d been a long time since they�d been to a party. Or at least, a big party where the wine, the food and the music had all been provided for them, and they didn�t have to work the next day. Such details led to tremendous inebriation.

And as a testament to their closeness (and their drunkenness), none of them had particularly noticed that they were only using roughly a fourth of the table. Dom had scooted close to Billy who had scooted close to Orlando who had scooted close to Sean who had scooted close to Elijah, so they now sat together in a cramped huddle, unaware of just how cramped they were. Too many hours together on set, in weapons training, in script readings had forever altered their concepts of personal space with one another. That, and the wine. That helped, too.

Furthermore, Billy specifically hadn�t noticed that his chair had gotten progressively closer to Orlando�s and that, by now, their chairs almost touched. He didn�t notice that Orlando kept leaning toward him, favoring his side. He didn�t notice that, about forty-five minutes ago, he�d gotten into the habit of resting his arm across the back of Orlando�s chair, that he�d crossed his legs toward Orlando so his bare knee beneath his kilt touched Orlando�s under the table. Had he been aware of all of this, Billy would certainly have decided that red wine was the Devil�s drink. Or perhaps the Angel�s.

As the others chatted, Billy looked about the ballroom. A few couples still spun to the jazz music buzzing frenetically into the air, but they were noticeably less coordinated than they had been a few free bottles of wine ago. Most everyone was still there, but they�d splintered off into smaller groups and claimed tables just as the Hobbits had. They didn�t have a castle though.

�Where�s the bloke with the wine?� Dom set his wine glass on the tabletop with an unsteady hand. �He was doing such a brilliant job earlier. This is the first time my glass has been empty.�

Sean conferred over the castle with Orlando, snapping a carnation stem into equal three-inch pieces. He looked up just long enough to scan the room. �I haven�t seen him in a good twenty minutes now,� he said, and set the broken stems in Orlando�s outstretched palm. Billy admired Orlando�s hands for a few seconds, imagining all the places he�d like to have them touching him, all the things they could do. His lips twisted in a smile and he looked down at his own empty glass. Later, he quietly chided himself. Later.

�Look, my glass is empty.�

�You�re such a fucking pessimist, Dom.� Orlando concentrated on his castle, carefully leaning Sean�s carnation stems against it to act as buttresses.

�Aye,� Billy agreed, letting his hand rest on Orlando�s white-clad shoulder. Under the table, he felt Orlando�s knee rub against his in response. �It�s no empty, it�s just less than totally full at the moment.�

Elijah frowned at the wine-less forest. �I think we�ve been cut off.�

�That�s shit,� Dom said. �I haven�t even started taking my clothes off yet. There�s a rule back home, you know: If Dom�s not naked, Dom�s not drunk. Ah! Wine man! Garcon!�

As the bloke with the wine neared them, the entire table came alive, lifting their glasses for refills. Except Sean. Sean was being good. And really, now that Billy thought on it, Orlando was being exceptionally brave to drink red wine in a white suit.

With his own glass sparkling with wine again, Billy looked over to see Dom with his optimistically full glass. Dom sat back in his chair, but made no move to take off his bug head as he�d done for the numerous previous glasses. �How are you going to drink that with your bug head on?� Billy asked.

Dom lavishly pulled a straw from the inside pocket of his suit. �With my proboscis,� he said, and inserted the straw through a small hole in his mask.

Billy glanced at Orlando, only to see his dark eyes lift to him. Proboscis. The word triggered a memory to another time, another evening; this one punctuated by wayward hands, advanced snuggling, and worries long, long gone. Orlando�s lips quirked in a smile and he looked back to his buttresses. Billy loved being the one who got that smile, loved being the one who got to touch those lips. Later, he reminded himself again. Later. But he squeezed Orlando�s shoulder lightly and Orlando flexed into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed for just an instant.

�I got it from the big monkey. Forgot I had it.� Dom took a sip of wine through his proboscis. �So, Orlando �� He leaned toward the table and ungracefully slammed his elbow against the edge, causing an earthquake that knocked over half the empty bottles in the forest and tossed his bug mask off-kilter on his shoulders. His proboscis flung red wine into the air. The rest of the group erupted into hysterics, hitting the tabletop with their fists to augment their laughter, cheering for Dom.

Billy leaned toward Orlando as he laughed, feeling Orlando�s breath and the warmth of him. Everything was better with Orlando nearby. The wine tasted better, the laughter came more easily, and everything Orlando did, everything Orlando was as a person tonight somehow reflected upon Billy. Orlando looked handsome, which made Billy feel handsome. Orlando laughed at all his jokes, which made Billy feel witty. Orlando�s eyes would hold on him just a second longer than common, which made Billy feel special. These jokes, these times when everyone laughed, felt like private jokes just between him and Orlando. This party felt like it was theirs, a preamble to the more important part of their night. Right now, the world honestly did revolve around them and it gave Billy a light, carefree feeling in his chest. He loved it and thought maybe it was even more intoxicating than the wine.

Calm through the fit at his expense, Dom carefully situated his mask back atop his head and regained his composure like a true gentleman insect. Elijah was snickering and wiping his eyes when, nearly three minutes later, Dom leaned casually on the table and began where he left off. �So, Orlando��

Orlando snorted, tears brimming his eyes. �Yeah, Dom?�

�Are you making a specific castle or just making it up as you go?�

�It looks like a sand castle,� Elijah said, wrinkling his nose.

�Hey! It does not.� Orlando looked affronted and lovingly admired his green foam palace.

�It sorta does, man. I�m just saying.�

Billy shook his head at Elijah; clearly, the man did not recognize art when he saw it; but Billy did and Orlando was art. Or his castle was. Either way, really. Billy tilted his head, scrutinizing the castle. Orlando was more art than his castle. Though the castle was quite impressive for something made out of foam and flower stems. He stroked his thumb across the back of Orlando�s neck, silently advising him to pay no heed to Elijah�s comments.

Sean narrowed his eyes, inspecting the little structure as Orlando tidied up one corner with the fork. �It almost reminds me of Notre Dame.�

�Aye, now, there, you see?� Billy heard himself say to Elijah, and he leaned closer to Orlando, inhaling the dull scent of the oasis foam and the musky tang of Orlando�s aftershave. God, he smelled good.

�It has those same sort of spires.�

�Yeah, and isn�t Notre Dame a little green now �cause of the rain?� Orlando smiled at his own joke and rubbed his neck, leaving a dusting of green powder on his skin. �It�s perfect. I�m fucking brilliant.�

Billy laughed, hearing the others laugh with him and they all hooted at Orlando, calling him out. Grinning, Billy jostled Orlando�s shoulder teasingly; the lad was such a wanker sometimes.

�Oh, yeah, it�s fucking Buckingham Palace, Orli!� Dom called through his mask.

�I think you�ve got a real career there, too.� Elijah leaned against the tabletop, seemingly gone weak from too much laughter. �Everyone needs a little foam castle.� The phrase �little foam castle� proved hilarious to Elijah and they lost him in another fit of giggles.

�I like it,� Billy said, and he touched a finger to Orlando�s neck, wiping away the green dust. Orlando looked up at him, his dark-lined gaze sparkling close, his lips twitching with a barely contained smirk. He�d not worn a mask or a costume, but bold, black eyeliner edged his eyes and Billy found the results rather dazzling. The sort of dazzling that made you forget your name for a moment. He breathed Orlando in, one finger brushing against his neck. �It looks like that Neuschwanstein place.�

Orlando�s face twisted in confusion, his smile contorting. �What?�

�You heard me.�

�Aye � I mean, yeah, I heard you, but I didn�t understand what you said. Shit, mate, you sound so fucking Scottish when you�re pissed.� Orlando grinned and nudged Billy�s knee under the table. The way he listed toward Billy, his shoulder almost pressed neatly under Billy�s outstretched arm, made Billy feel taller.

�I am Scottish when I�m pissed.�

�Oh, right,� Orlando chuckled, and looked at him with a heat that Billy could feel on his skin. Orlando moved in his seat, leaning even closer. Their faces almost touched. �Well, it�s just a good thing you�re cute.�

Billy�s eyebrows rose and he saw Orlando�s eyes widen a moment later in realization.

�Cute?� Dom asked.

Shite, Billy thought with a silly smirk, what are we doing? But he knew what they were doing. They were flirting. With each other. In front of the others. He removed his arm from around Orlando just as Orlando sat back. Billy knew he should be petrified or embarrassed, but he felt a mad sort of giddiness bubbling up inside him. He almost didn�t care if the others found out. It was no longer something that embarrassed him; in fact, he thought it was quite cool, quite special. Billy wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh so badly and so long, but he knew perfectly well he shouldn�t, so he didn�t. He liked having the secret far too much. He snorted, he covered his mouth with his hand, but he didn�t laugh. Later, he promised himself once more. Later. Beside him, Orlando�s face bore the same insane amusement and they snickered together, sharing their own little secret joke.

Elijah latched onto Orlando�s comment in a different way. �Aw! He�s our wee little Scot!� he called out, in an atrocious Scottish accent.

Dom reached across to pinch Billy�s cheek. �Like a little leprechaun.�

�Hey, hold on! Call me a �wee little Scot�, but don�t call me Irish.�

�You�re right, you�re right.� Dom lifted a hand in apology. �My mistake. I have no reason to believe you have a pot of gold or a��

Dom�s sentence wasted away slowly and his bug head craned up at something behind Billy�s head. A flowery perfume puffed past Billy�s nose and he turned to see a gorgeous blonde in a purple dress standing at the table�s edge between Sean and Orlando. She didn�t seem at all unnerved by having five drunken men gaping at her. In fact, she seemed rather accustomed to it. She rested her hand on the vacant back of Orlando�s chair and leaned down to him, giving him an eyeful of her cleavage. Billy resisted the urge to tilt his head for a better perspective; as it was, he knew his jaw dropped a bit.

�Dance with me?� she said silkily to Orlando.

To Billy, she was suddenly less attractive.

�Oh, uh - � Shrimp fork still in hand, Orlando glanced back at Billy, then returned his eyes to the blonde. �Sure.�

Billy frowned before he could stop himself. Orlando dropped the fork on the table, dusted his hands off on a serviette and stood to follow the woman in purple. He had barely taken three steps at her side before she slipped her arm through his. Jazz continued to frantically fill the air as they found an empty spot on the dance floor.

Everyone at the table watched. Elijah strained in his seat, peering through the other dancers. �Does he even know how to dance to jazz?�

Looking back to the table, Sean chuckled. �I�m not sure it�s going to matter.�

Billy scowled and shifted in his seat. The other dancers blocked his view as they spun and twirled. Twirl out of the sodding way, Billy thought. Then, they did. Through the whirl of color, Billy caught a glimpse of Orlando standing with the blonde, swaying, but not really dancing. As far as Billy could tell, all they�d accomplished was the blonde�s tentacles had latched onto Orlando�s waist and had come deliberately close to cupping his arse.

�Oi, she�s a shy one, isn�t she?� Dom snickered and sucked up another sip of wine. Billy decided he must be able to see through that bug mask much better than he�d thought.

�Aye. It�s a wonder she found the courage to speak to him.� Billy swallowed a bit of his own wine and stared at the pair of them, Orlando and the blonde. Billy didn�t like her. She was interfering with his pull.

The woman in purple swayed with Orlando, her hips moving sinuously in a way that only women could do it and the motion had always baffled Billy. She was hot, to be sure, but he couldn�t get his mind to dwell on her curved hips or the pale hint of breast he could see through the arm of her gown because he knew he didn�t have a chance in hell of touching any of it. Elijah and Dom dwelled with relish, though, and began a running commentary full of phrases like �fantastic tits� and �did you see her ass?� Billy tossed in �great mouth� for cover, but was pretty sure he was talking about Orlando anyway.

Undercutting all of Elijah and Dom�s comments was a palpable envy that they didn�t care much about hiding. They were jealous of Orlando for having caught the attention of such a �babe,� as Elijah called her. But Billy still didn�t like her. And he wasn�t jealous.

The blonde threw her head back, laughing eagerly at some joke of Orlando�s that Billy knew hadn�t deserved such a guffaw; Orlando just wasn�t that funny. The move had been all about pressing her breasts more tightly against Orlando�s chest. Billy shook his head when he saw Orlando glance down her top and then hurriedly meet her gaze when she looked back to him. He could hardly blame him, though. She was hot. Stupid purple woman.

Billy knew how it was: the blonde had been drinking with some other lassies, thought Orlando was good-looking and wanted to see if she could turn him on. It was clear even from where Billy sat that the woman was a tease. She had no intention of making good on any of the promises her body was making, felt no responsibility to help relieve the tension she was creating. She was getting Orlando all knotted up, but didn�t care enough about him as a person to take the time to untie him again.

Slowly, Billy grinned. That was all right, then, he supposed. Every time she slid her hands down to Orlando�s hips or carefully rolled her breasts against him, Billy knew exactly who would be benefiting from how incredibly horny she was making him. With that new perspective, he watched the couple with a relish matching Dom and Elijah�s. In his head, he even cheered the woman on.

He tried to ignore that his silent victory felt hollow, that it tasted sharp and bitter in his mouth. If he played his cards right � if he played his cards at all � he�d be going home with Orlando tonight, which was good; which was very, very good. This blonde woman, though certainly not a nun, wasn�t a one-night stand either. She wasn�t going to alter any of Billy�s plans. Not a one. He would still get to go home with Orlando, he would still get to kiss Orlando. He would still get to have Orlando. Good enough, he thought to himself, but when he looked out on the dance floor, his self-satisfied grin became fake.

Billy looked away from the dancers and back to Orlando�s castle where Sean was replacing one of the buttresses that didn�t quite meet his standards.

�Oh-oh, she�s leaving �im.� Dom leaned forward in anticipation.

Billy looked out to see the purple woman walking away as Orlando gestured largely, saying his goodbyes, if Billy read his body language correctly. Alone, Orlando stood, running a hand through his abbreviated hair. Elijah and Dom howled. �Man, that�s so cold! I can�t believe she did that,� Elijah said, his smile enormous. Billy couldn�t help but grin with him. �What�s he gonna do?� Orlando looked up. �He�s looking over here.� Orlando�s eyes found them across the dance floor.

�Woo! Woot!� Dom and Elijah both raised their hands in the air triumphantly, cheering loudly enough to get the attention of half the room. Orlando laughed, the distance leaving him silent. He shook his head at Dom and Elijah. Then, for a moment, his eyes caught on Billy�s. Billy felt the oddest instinct to look away, some heat in his throat that didn�t even want him to look at Orlando right now, but he didn�t succeed and so he saw when Orlando turned from the dance floor, heading toward the back hallway.

�Aw, poor bloke. He�s going for a wank in the loo!� Dom snickered through his bug head.

�That girl was just mean,� Elijah chuckled. �That�s just not a nice thing to do to a guy.�

Billy crossed his legs, smoothed the edge of his kilt, and waited. He waited for the conversation to change. He waited for enough time to pass and for suspicious behavior to become casual. He waited because he thought Orlando should have to wait. His foot bounced unconsciously with nervous energy and sweat prickled along his neck, making his collar feel stiff and itchy. An eternity later, Sean and Elijah started talking about ballroom dancing and Dom sat back, sipping his wine through his proboscis. Billy perceived his time had come.

�Right,� he said softly, then louder again for Dom�s sake. �I�m going to go have a pee. Bye.� And he fairly leapt out of his chair.

He tried to walk casually toward the shadowed hallway hiding the toilets, but his leg muscles jumped and leapt, urging him to run even when he knew he shouldn�t. He was sure his pace seemed twitchy, but silently hoped he just looked like a lad who had to take a piss.

Creeping into the dark corridor, he peered around, making sure no one followed. His fingers danced across the door to the loo and he glanced this way and that before swiftly pushing it open.

The room appeared to be empty. Billy stood a few seconds, scanning the rows of urinals, sinks and stalls before he heard a discreet cough come from behind the still wide open door. He peered around it to see Orlando leaning against the narrow space of wall between the sinks and the doorjamb. His lined eyes blinked slowly and Orlando cocked his head toward the stalls. Just then, Billy heard a flush.

Mind in a rush, Billy darted to a sink, letting the door close behind him. Following his lead, Orlando turned on a faucet, wetting his hands for no reason. They both stood there, unnecessarily scrubbing their palms as the stall door squeaked open and one of the crewmembers � Billy thought he recognized him from the motion capture sessions � came out, tucking in his shirt.

The water splashed over Billy�s fingers and the plumbing hissed, but it suddenly seemed ridiculously, uncharacteristically silent to Billy. This motion capture fellow would obviously know who he and Orlando were, he knew they were friends, so he would expect them to be talking. It would make sense for them to be talking; only silence would be suspicious.

�So, uh, Orlando,� Billy began. The crewmember stepped to the sink beside him. �What�d you think of the game?�

�What?�

Damn it! Billy thought. Orlando sounded completely clueless. Billy tried not to stamp his foot as a signal.

�Oh.� There, he got it. �It was good! Yeah, it was really�cool.�

The door thumped closed behind the crewman.

Billy turned to see Orlando gripping the sink with wet hands, laughing so hard it came out silent. He barely stayed standing. �Shit,� he breathed. �What the hell was that?�

�That was not your finest moment. You�ve had much, much finer moments, you know.�

�I didn�t know you were going to say anything!�

�I had to say something. Too quiet with just the sinks. It seemed weird.�

Orlando sniffed, drying his hands. �It was weird.�

�Oh, and that�ll be so huge I can�t even say.� Billy waved his hand dismissively as Orlando handed him a hand towel. �He can go tell all his motion capture mates that Billy and Orlando were having awkward conversation in the gentlemen�s. So, Billy and Orlando awkward in loo. Big hairy fucking deal.�

�Yeah, and �Billy and Orlando not talking in loo� would have been gossip for weeks.� Orlando narrowed his eyes at him, amused.

�Okay, so it wasn�t my finest moment either.�

�I�ve definitely seen finer ones.� Orlando waggled his eyebrows, then snickered, lowering his eyes. Billy grinned at the innuendo, but it felt awkward. A weird sort of irritation tightened in his neck and he got the strangest feeling that he was mad at Orlando.

�Hey, uh, sorry about the �cute� thing out there.� Orlando leaned against the wall behind him, his shoulders hitching self-consciously. �I didn�t � I don�t know what I was thinking.�

Billy shrugged, trying to shake off the shroud of disappointment. �Well, I am extraordinarily cute, so I understand, really. You couldn�t help yourself.�

�Oh, yeah, that was it. It�s the kilt.�

�You like the kilt.�

�I barely know the kilt.� Orlando raised his hands in surrender. �We�ve never been properly introduced.�

Billy chuckled lightly, but it was forced. He didn�t understand why they weren�t snogging already. They were alone now. They should be going at it like rabbits, or at least like two young lads who�d had a lot of wine, but he felt uneasy; discontentment coiling in his stomach. Billy stared at him and all he could think was that he�d essentially given up Eva for Orlando, so it wasn�t unreasonable for him to expect Orlando to not go dirty dancing with ballroom tarts. But it was unreasonable. It was a ludicrous thought. He was embarrassed to have thought it. He couldn�t just say, �Look, mate, I don�t want you dancing with pretty girls.� Orlando didn�t owe him anything and he certainly shouldn�t have to ask for Billy�s permission to do whatever he wanted. And Billy could hardly have expected him to say no. If he�d turned her down, the Hobbits would have made fun of him, even Billy. You just don�t turn down a lass who looks like that.

But then, he had looked at Billy, hadn�t he?

Billy thought a moment. Yes, he distinctly recalled Orlando glancing at him before accepting the tart�s advances, as if he was about to ask if it was okay before he remembered how that would sound to the others. The coil in Billy�s stomach fluttered and he wondered when he and Orlando had gotten to this stage. Why had Orlando even thought to ask him, let alone turn to do so? And why was Billy so relieved that he had?

�You wanna come over to mine later?� Orlando asked.

Billy quirked an eyebrow. �Someone get you riled up?�

�What?�

�The lassie.�

�Bugger that,� Orlando breathed. �She was such a fucking tease.�

�Not like me, then, aye?�

�Aye, not like you.� Orlando smiled, and Billy heard something in his voice, something that made ludicrous thoughts seem reasonable. Because Orlando had done it, too. Orlando had given up the woman in purple for him. They had both officially given up a woman for whatever it was they had with one another. At the moment, Billy wasn�t sure how he felt about that.

He shifted from one foot to the other, scratching his leg idly through the thick wool of his kilt. He opened his mouth to say whatever came to mind simply to end the silence, but � �Shite!� � the door flew open and slammed him hard on the shoulder, knocking him over.

Billy caught himself against the row of sinks and felt Orlando grab him for an instant before letting go.

�Shit! Sorry, Bills. You okay?� Elijah�s laughter barely contained itself through the sentence.

�Aye. Aye, lucky for you, I numbed the pain ahead of time.� Rubbing the dissipating ache on his shoulder, Billy turned. Orlando stood with his face stuck in a sympathetic grimace. Elijah glanced between them and Billy scratched his leg again. As far as he could tell, nothing in the room betrayed them, besides, of course, both of them being in the small space behind the door with Orlando leaning rather decadently against the wall. Billy schooled his features and forced himself to look casual.

Elijah�s brow wrinkled in confusion. �What are you guys doing in here?�

�Wrestling,� Billy answered, and Orlando let out a sharp laugh.

�Chatting. Just chatting.� He stood up straight. �It�s too loud out there.�

�Well, me and Dom�ve been looking for you.� Elijah opened the door again, letting in the high-paced jazz from the ballroom. �You blokes should come out and see this. It�s brilliant.� He darted out eagerly.

�Blokes?� Billy looked at Orlando.

Orlando rolled his eyes. �Brilliant.�

Billy sighed and shook his head. �Americans. They all want to be European.� Then, he pulled the door open wide and Orlando followed him out of the loo.

They only got a few feet before they ran into a crowd. People gathered nearly a dozen deep, forming a wide, thick circle around the dance floor. Billy wandered over to slide in beside Elijah and Dom since they�d already taken the time to find a niche in the mob suitable for fellows of their stature. Dom defensively hugged his bug head to his body, protecting it from the crush. Billy tucked himself in between the wall and the crowd as Orlando came up next to him, peering over the rest.

In the center of the ring of watchers, a couple danced fluidly, spinning and turning with the music. Billy recognized a pair of lighting technicians, husband and wife, if he remembered their introductions well enough. The woman�s green dress swirled as she spun, coming to a stop and gathering against the dark-clad legs of her husband before recoiling and spinning again in the other direction. Something twinged in Billy�s heart, a vague longing. They knew one another so well, so seamlessly that they could move like this together. Watching them now, moving with such grace, he envied them.

Beside him, Orlando shifted and cleared his throat, his eyes on the graceful couple. He leaned against the wall behind him, letting his hands fall to his side and as he did so, the back of his hand brushed against Billy�s. Billy�s pulse quickened and he froze.

Lowering his eyes to the shoulder of the man in front of him, Billy used all his peripheral vision to try to see Orlando, to see his reaction. What he saw was Orlando staring straight forward at the dancers, his dark eyes following their every step. But what he felt was Orlando�s hand move slightly to touch his.

Billy�s eyes flashed up to the dance floor. The couple continued to dance, a swirl of green and black before him, but he didn�t see them. His mind�s eye focused solely on the back of his hand against Orlando�s. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning the jazz, drowning his thoughts, and Orlando slid closer.

The green and black on the dance floor swept upward in a motion that looked impressive by human standards. The crowd cooed and applauded. With one final, fluid movement, Orlando�s palm pressed flat against Billy�s and instantly, their fingers intertwined, threading through each other. Billy�s heart throbbed once, a final drumbeat. Clapping and grinning, Elijah turned to them. Billy quickly grinned back, but didn�t feel it and wasn�t sure why they were smiling. When Elijah looked back to the dancers, Billy�s smile fell and he swallowed.

Orlando�s thumb stroked over his, his fingers squeezing gently. His hand felt secure and strong in Billy�s, but it trembled, either from the force of his pulse or the jangle of his nerves. It reminded Billy of the first time he�d held a girl�s hand and he couldn�t let anyone see for fear of being teased. It was something private and maybe even a little bit forbidden. In a way, it meant Orlando was his, no matter what the ballroom tarts might try.

Orlando bought him a toothbrush.

The thought slapped Billy across the face. Orlando bought him a toothbrush. Mates don�t buy each other toothbrushes. A bit of plastic with bristles and suddenly, it was an admission, a declaration. An epiphany. Billy slowly started to realize the true nature of their secret and it was so obvious, so clear, he couldn�t believe that it actually had to be an epiphany.

It wasn�t that they were secretly snogging, or secretly sharing a bed on cold nights. It wasn�t even that they were secretly rubbing and touching one another, doing things that involved condoms and lubrication. They were secretly seeing one another, secretly dating. The secret was that they were a couple. Billy�s stomach flipped anxiously and he felt the phantom hooves of the Devil on his shoulder, but he didn�t let go of Orlando�s hand. He didn�t let go because he didn�t want to.

The song ended with a flourish and the green and black pair struck a final, elegant pose before giggling shyly with one another. The audience around them clapped enthusiastically as the couple bowed. The riotous applause filled Billy�s ears, replacing the sound of his own heartbeat. Then, gradually, the crowd began to disperse.

The man in front of Billy walked off, removing a bit of the protective closeness around them. Orlando�s hand tightened possessively, sending a smile to Billy�s lips and a strange, dizzying euphoria to his blood. He gripped Orlando�s hand back. Then, the woman in front of Orlando wandered away. The light of the dance floor struck them. Billy let go. His mood took a sudden, frustrated downward turn.

�Wasn�t that great?� Elijah asked. �Did you know they could do that?�

Dom shrugged. �I always saw a certain grace in how they put up the key lights, didn�t you, Bill?�

�Oh, aye. All that twirling � didn�t seem necessary for putting up a tripod.�

Elijah and Dom laughed, then a silence fell that felt heavy enough to suffocate. Billy swallowed and glanced in Orlando�s direction, though he didn�t lift his eyes enough to actually see him. He wanted to be away now, somewhere private, alone with him.

�I�m pissed,� Orlando abruptly declared. The other three just stared at him. �Right, so, I�m going to catch a cab home. Anyone want to share?� He glanced expectantly at Billy.

Billy let a moment pass for the sake of appearing casual. �Aye, I guess I will.� Orlando smiled, small and sweet.

�I will, too,� Elijah said.

�Yeah.� Dom shifted his bug mask under his arm. �I should head home. One more drink and I�ll be naked.�

�Sean�s been wanting to take off for about twenty minutes. Let me see if he�s still here.� Elijah began pushing through the crowd. �I�ll meet you guys by the main door.�

�Okay,� Dom said for them.

Billy and Orlando looked at one another and frowned.