The knock on his door was a welcome distraction. "Come in," Dave called, pushing himself away from the computer screen. A slim, dark haired, almost achingly beautiful young man walked in, holding up a folder. "Hi." He smiled. "I'm supposed to give these to Viggo." Dave sighed, taking in the expensive suit the sweet young thing in front of him was wearing. Not a lackey...and the mortal looked very familiar. "Vig's out of town, the bloody cunt. Just set them on the desk." He pushed himself out of his chair, held out a hand. "David Wenham. Have we met?" "Not formally, no." The man dropped the folder on one corner of the desk and grasped Dave's hand firmly. "Orlando Bloom." Of course. He should have remembered. But then, last time he'd seen Karl's new pet, the boy had been a shaking mess in Karl's hallway. Nothing at all like the poised, confident young man in front of him. "Yes, yes, Karl's pet. Pleasure to meet you. Have a seat." He gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk. Orlando sat, long legs crossed in front of him. His thumb toyed with his ring as he studied Dave. "You're Viggo's assistant, aren't you?" Dave nodded. "To my everlasting regret, yes. I should have run screaming in the opposite direction as fast as possible when he offered me the bloody job." "You have my deepest sympathies." Orlando grinned, brushed a stray curl off his forehead. "I'll take Karl any day. Harry, too, for that matter." "You can have the lot of them at the moment," Dave answered, putting his feet up on his desk, leaning back and smiling. "A more obtuse bunch of men were never born. Amazing that they put up with each other. How's your particular nightmare treating you these days? Everything alright now?" "Well that would depend on which nightmare you mean." Orlando shook his head, laughed softly. "But Karl's wonderful. Things are much smoother now." "And you and Harry are getting on as well, I hope? You shouldn't let him get to you. He's really not so bad, most of the time." "Harry? Oh, yes, we're getting along marvelously." Orlando's grin softened a little. "He hasn't turned me loose in his library yet, but I'm holding out hope I can talk him into it." "Mind that you bring along a change of clothes and a lunch when you do get to dive into that mess. He really needs a curator." Alright, things were definitely odd. Why in the world was Karl's pet smiling so beautifully over Harry? They'd been at each other's throats a little more than a week ago. Dave restrained his natural urge to ask about it. It really wasn't his business, and he had his own problems with Harry to sort out. Namely that he'd wanted Harry from the first moment he'd seen him and Harry had always blown him off. But, that was old news, hardly worth thinking about. Orlando laughed, nodded. "Oh, I know. I lost track of time in there waiting for him to get home. It was a bit of a culture shock after spending so much time in Karl's library." "Waiting for him..." Dave stopped himself. Hadn't he just fucking said it wasn't his business? "Yeah, I decided to brave the lion in his den, so to speak." "You're either very brave or completely insane," he said, though his tone was gentle enough. "A little of both, actually. Harry called it fearless, but I think he was humoring me." Orlando smiled a little. "Personally, I'll admit I was completely insane to even think about it. But things got worked out. Kinda. I probably shouldn't have stayed when Karl left, but that's beside the point." Dave blinked. Stayed...Karl left...suddenly Karl and Harry's frosty attitudes toward each other last Friday in Council made a lot more sense. Harry...and Karl's pet...fuck. He might have known they'd share every bloody thing. "You...um...?" Wasn't his business. Wasn't. Dave swung his feet to the floor, stood. He walked to the small mini-bar on the wall, grabbed a large bottle of water, drained in a few long swallows. "Something wrong?" Dave shook his head, managed a small smile. "Not really. Just figured out a few things. Didn't think it was possible for a pet to have feelings for another vampire is all." Orlando flushed, looked away. "It's not supposed to be." He shifted again, his body tense. "But because of Karl's bond with Harry...I'm not sure I can explain it. Don't really understand it myself even if Viggo did explain it to me." Dave tossed Orlando a bottle of water, settled in the chair next to him. "Vig's the very last person you want to explain things to you, trust me." He looked over Karl's...Harry's...whatever...their pet, finally saw the faint shadows in bright eyes. "And how do you feel about everything?" he asked, watching carefully. Orlando took a sip of water. "Actually, what he said made sense, I just don't really understand still how it's possible." He laughed softly, the sound a little strained. "It's like a bargain basement sale or something. Two vampires for the price of one." "You should have left the building," Dave wryly observed. "The store had a no return policy." Orlando grinned and shrugged. "So now I'm stuck with them and not the faintest idea what I'm supposed to do with two vampires." At least he had a sense of humour about it. "Well, I would imagine it will get a lot simpler once the two eternal idiots get over their major snit and Karl apologizes to Harry. He's been taking advantage of Harry far too long. It's about time Harry called him on it." "Actually, Karl already apologized. Harry still threw him out of the house." Dave raised an eyebrow. "Good for him. Seems Harry listens well, after all." Orlando snorted. "Only when it suits him." He pulled at the label on the bottle. "I'm not sure Harry'll forgive Karl though. He was pretty pissed." "What happened?" Why was Dave torturing himself like this? He should simply thank Orlando for the papers, escort him out of the office. Only problem was, the kid looked like he needed a friend. Why the fuck did it have to be Dave? He pasted an encouraging smile on his face, schooled his features into something resembling sympathy. Orlando shrugged, picked at the label some more, sighed. And went through the events of that night in a low tone, glancing at Dave every once in awhile. The whole mess just sucked. The child had been in Harry's life for less than a handful of days, whereas Dave had been trying for eighty bloody years. Fuck. It was time to give up. No way Harry would ever look at him now. "Dumb fuck," he swore, not sure whether he meant Karl or himself. "Should have trusted his instincts." "He wasn't thinking. Harry's been...out of sorts recently, and Karl got scared and didn't think. He really does trust Harry, whether Harry believes that or not. And here I am, with no clue how I got there." "Yeah, well, they do tend to overwhelm most." Dave patted Orlando on the knee, gentled his smile even more. Poor kid. Looked positively knackered. "Look, I don't know a whole lot about what's going on with Harry right now, but I do know you can trust him. Always. And Karl may be an idiot, but he'll be there for you." "Yeah, I know." Orlando gave Dave a weak smile. "Be glad you're not bonded to them. One is bad enough, but both? I used to be fairly intelligent before all this." Yeah...glad. Fuck. "I can well imagine." Dave stood again, walked back to the bar. He couldn't look at Orlando anymore. Within the space of ten minutes, all of his plans had gotten completely monged. But he would be okay. Flexibility was the cornerstone of Dave's life. "I have no doubt you'll have the both of them wrapped around your pretty fingers before too long." He said the words while carefully perusing the interior of his fridge, even though he knew full well every single thing he had in it. "I don't think it'll be that easy." "I feel certain it'll be easier than you think." Dave threw Orlando a brief smile over his shoulder. "You're incredibly beautiful, stunning really. Karl already loves you, which means Harry can't be too far behind. Lucky you." The last two words were barely a thought. "Yeah, I guess," Orlando said slowly. "Be easier if I wasn't the only pet like me. I don't think I can survive the two of them." Dave's grin was firmly back in place as he turned, leaned against the bar. "Being unique has its privileges, my young friend. Learn to take advantage of them." "If I get anymore unique, I'm never leaving the house again." Orlando grinned. "You can borrow them if you'd like. Then you can tell me if it's worth it." Did he even know...no, couldn't. "No, thanks," he said, instead. "Karl's too elegant for my tastes." Orlando hooted with laughter. "Only when his clothes are on. Borrow Harry then. It'll give my ring a breather." Dave closed his eyes briefly, could almost taste the fucking words 'okay, I will' on his tongue. "Ring?" he asked, instead, blinking. "Yeah." Orlando gestured towards his stomach. "Navel ring. Fuckers are fascinated with it." "Are they really?" Perhaps that's what...stop it, Dave. Just fucking stop it. "Sounds terribly kinky, but then, they've probably done everything under the sun a thousand times over." Orlando nodded, grinned. "Absolutely fascinated. And it's amazing." His grin took on a sly edge. "I'm half tempted to tell 'em to go get rings of their own so they'll leave mine alone. It'd probably backfire, though, when they find out for themselves just what it feels like." "Probably wouldn't get them out away from each other," Dave agreed, crossing his ankles, the perfect picture of insouciance. Bugger all, this was worse than Karl. He understood Karl. Had been prepared to deal with and accept Karl. This was...hopeless. "Doubt that's going to be much of a problem anytime soon since they're not talking." Orlando continued to watch Dave with an enigmatic expression on his face. "I'd say they just need to get laid, but I'd probably just get myself in trouble again." "Shouldn't that be your job? Taking care of Karl, I mean?" "It is, and I do," Orlando said, a little defensive. "And I'm trying to take care of Harry, too, but it's not easy with him in Bangkok and acting like he doesn't want to talk to me at times because Viggo's stuck his nose in." "I'll tell Vig to fuck off for you, if you like," Dave offered. "I told him to fuck off already, and he just laughed at me." "Sounds like Vig," Dave laughed. "Anyway, Harry'll be back soon, and there's always phone sex in the meantime." And fuck all if the thought of Harry's low, rumbly voice didn't make his body burn. "And Harry and Karl will get over their tiff soon enough." Of that, Dave was absolutely sure. Harry and Karl together was the one constant in this universe. Orlando wrinkled his nose at the idea. "I'll just wait until Harry gets back and then force them to talk to each other." "You are insane if you think you can force them to talk to each other," Dave laughed, the sound genuine for the first time since Orlando had dropped his little bombshell. "But I wish you the best of luck." Orlando just smiled calmly. "Well, if I stop talking to them, they'll have to talk to each other. And if that doesn't work, well...I'll just impose on Viggo for a few days." "God," Dave shuddered, "promise me you'll only use Vig as a last resort. I still have to work with him, and he's already far too fucking conceited for his own good. And mine." "Oh, he is a last resort, trust me." Orlando shook his head and smiled. "So when did you say Viggo would be back?" "Tomorrow. Should I tell him you wish to speak with him?" Orlando's eyes widened. "No, that's okay. I'd rather he not come looking for me after he's talked to Harry." "Not so insane after all," Dave chuckled, body relaxing slightly. "No, not insane. Now, if you could tell Harry you think that, you'd be doing me a favor." And just like that, Dave was tense again, body stiff. "Harry doesn't talk to me, Orlando. I'm the bane of his life...only he's not quite so polite about it." Dave's smile this time didn't reach his eyes. "I see." Orlando sat back, dark eyes thoughtful as he studied Dave. Then one corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. "I could get him to talk to you, I think. You did say you thought I could wrap him around my finger, right?" "Trust me when I tell you it would take more than a miracle to get him to talk to me." He wasn't going to accept a bloody handout from this kid. No matter how much he wanted it. "But, yeah, you've got them pretty well twisted in knots, I bet. And good for you." "Actually it's the other way around," Orlando laughed. "They're the ones who have me twisted in knots. I've got zero control in this whole thing." He paused. "I still think I could get Harry to talk to you. He's always going on about how he talks to people, unlike Karl." "Yeah, he does," Dave replied softly, mind not entirely on the conversation anymore. He needed to get a grip, needed to accept his place in Harry's life, move on. He'd known from the beginning that he was setting his sights way too high. Gods did not form relationships with lesser beings. Orlando leaned against the arm of the chair, back to blatantly watching Dave again. "He does, you know. He's talked to me a lot. It's absolutely amazing how patient he can be." Dave didn't reply, couldn't really. Harry...patient. That hard body, those rugged hands, all patient and slow on him... Why was he torturing himself like this? "He can be very sweet, too. When he wants to be. And he has an absolutely wicked sense of humor. But I'm sure you don't want to hear this. It probably is just boring you." Yeah...boring. Every single bloody thing about Harry Sinclair bored Dave to tears. The way Harry brushed his hair off of his face with impatient fingers. The way he was so freely affectionate with Karl. The way his brow furrowed in concentration, or when he was irritated. That slow, sexy stride that showed off the sway of muscled hips... "Yeah," Dave replied, managing a wan smile. "Pretty boring." "Thought so. I mean, you've known him a lot longer than I have." Orlando nodded. "You probably already know anything I could possibly tell you. If I didn't have Karl, I'd be jealous as hell of whoever ends up getting Harry full-time." "You're getting him full time." And watching that was not going to kill Dave. He wouldn't let it. "Maybe." Orlando shrugged. "Harry and I don't have the bond I have with Karl, so he won't...we can't...anyway, by full time I meant like a pet would have him full time." Seemed the young mortal was going to be in for quite a shock then. Dave inwardly smiled...trust Vig not to explain a few things to Orlando, like vows and blood ties. Things that would allow a mortal like Orlando to fully have a vampire like Harry. "Harry doesn't want a pet. He's made that very clear." "He's accepted me easily enough." Orlando smiled slightly, tilted his head to study Dave. "And from what Karl has said...and Viggo, too...I'll basically be serving as Harry's pet in some ways." "'S not like you're really Harry's though, is it?" Dave hugged his arms to his chest, cocked his head, studied Orlando. Kid was up to something. Dave knew that look. God alone knew he'd given it to enough people himself in his life. Orlando nodded, his smile bright, his eyes still thoughtful. "I don't know. Viggo says I'm the only pet like me ever." "And he should know," Dave replied. "Well, good luck to you again." He pushed himself off the bar, walked to his desk, dropped himself in his chair across from Orlando, determined to end this on a friendly note. Because he really did like this kid. And it wasn't Orlando's fault that Harry didn't want Dave. "I trust we'll be running into each other from time to time. You can bore me with all of the ways they're making you crazy at home, and I can bore you with how they drive me crazy at work." Orlando grinned, stood up. "It's a deal. I have the feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of each other. In fact, I'm looking forward to it." "Me too." And he really was. Dave stood, held out his hand. "It was a pleasure getting to know you away from the craziness." "Likewise." Orlando shook Dave's hand, then gestured at the folder. "Make sure Viggo gets those. Or you can tell Karl what happened to them." Dave shrugged. "Karl can go bugger himself. Or you. Or Vig, for that matter. Things'll get done when they get done and not a moment before then." Orlando choked with laughter. "I'll be sure to pass that along. I really do need to get going before his Majesty starts yelling for me. I only meant to drop in quick enough to leave those on my way home." "I understand. Off with you then. Tell his Royal Pain I expect him to take good care of you," Dave grinned. Yes, the kid really was going to be good for Karl. Do him good to get smacked down to reality every once in awhile. "And which Royal Pain would that be?" Orlando grinned at Dave's expression, closing the door firmly behind him before the vampire could reply. Dave shook his head and smiled. Seemed the child had already learned something of Karl and Harry's ways. Onto Part Seventeen
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