| Title: Cherished Authors: Jo & Brenda Series: Claimed Pairings: Karl Urban/Orlando Bloom/Harry Sinclair Rating: NC17 Summary: Vampires and pets and sex, oh my. Yeah, it's an AU. Disclaimer: As far as we know, vampires don't exist. Cha. Author's Notes: *Brenda points to Jo* It was all her fault. I just went along with it. *Jo points back at Brenda* Her Karl had designs on my Orli. She liked the idea so we let them play. This is what happened. *mwah* *Brenda & Jo look around, then whisper* But it's really *all* Harry's fault and if he says otherwise, it's a lie! For the other 1/2 of the Quartet. *mwah*
But Sean was pissed. Very pissed. Extremely motherfucking, wanting to rip apart buildings with his bare hands pissed. Had been pissed during his meeting -- was actually reading to kill the fucking merger just so he could hunt down his wayward brat of a pet. But, he didn't. Dom's methods were sneaky, underhanded and low -- but he'd done it out of love. And Sean understood that. Understood that Karl was a man who took many things for granted, who didn't always see how much he intimidated others. It was a valuable trait for a vampire, a valuable trait in business. But a lousy one for his love life. No wonder he'd been with only Harry so long. No one else would put up with him. But understanding that didn't improve Sean's mood. He was cranky from having his sleep interrupted, he was horny, he was pissed at the slowness of this goddamn merger, and he was highly annoyed with Dom. Taking all of it out on Karl seemed like a wonderful idea. Sean stomped up the steps of Harry's rustic castle -- a castle, for fuck's sake, could Harry be any more obvious -- throwing open the door. He stalked down the hallway, ignoring the startled 'meep' of the night maid as she flattened her body against the walls, clutching her dust mop to herself like a shield. His only thought was Karl. Specifically, on kicking Karl's ass. Three heads turned as he threw open the door to the library. Viggo on the sofa, glass of brandy in hand...not his man, didn't care. Harry, slouching in his favorite chair, sipping Scotch...nope, not tonight. Ah, yes, Karl, standing next to the bar, pouring himself a glass of wine. Bingo. "Sean, glad you could join us," Viggo called in greeting, blue eyes warm with welcome. And just as quickly narrowing when he felt Sean's anger. "Sean..." "Not now, Vig." Sean dismissed the Elder without a thought. "This is about the eternal idiot over here." "Which one of us?" Harry asked, swirling his drink around in one hand. He was still slouching, still seemingly relaxed, but his senses were on full alert. Sean didn't even spare Harry a glance. "This one," he said, walking over to poke his finger in Karl's chest. And watched in satisfaction as Karl's eyes narrowed. "Watch it." The voice was mild, but the steel beneath it was unmistakable. Sean didn't care. "No, you watch it." Another poke. Now Sean could feel the slowly building fury in the other vampire. Lovely. Sean was in the mood to fight. "Should we break this up?" Harry asked Viggo, continuing to sip his Scotch. "Haven't seen a good fight in ages," Viggo replied, smiling as he settled himself on the worn leather sofa and prepared to enjoy himself. Sean ignored them, continued to glare at Karl. "You fucking moron." Karl's eyes closed, and Sean could see Karl's lips move as he counted to ten, putting his glass of wine on the bar counter without looking. "Sean." Karl's voice was low, controlled. "Before you persist in this lovely bout of name calling, would you mind telling me why?" he asked, slowly blinking his eyes open. "Do you have any idea how fragile Orlando is right now?" "What are you talking about?" Karl looked puzzled, concerned. Well good, he fucking should be concerned. "He's fine, he's just a little tired." "Of course he's tired, he's trying to keep up with you." Sean drove his finger into hard muscle, eyes ablaze with righteous anger. "And he can't, you stupid git. He's only mortal. Your soon-to-be pet is having a nervous breakdown, and you can't even see it." "Orlando is fine. He's been taking everything very well." Karl's smile was indulgent. "I'm quite proud of him actually." Sean threw up his hands in disgust, sighed heavily. "Christ, it's no wonder you've never taken a goddamn pet! You'd have had them completely fucking insane before a year was out." "You're treading here." Karl was no longer amused, no longer indulgent. Good, maybe he'd listen. "A thousand bucks says they come to blows." Viggo made the comment without moving his eyes from the scene in front of him. Harry's eyes flashed with laughter. "You're on." "Fuck that." Sean was just warming up to full velocity. "You've been around me and Dom long enough to know how it's supposed to work. Partnership. Friendship. Love. Cherishing. These aren't just words. You have to feel them." "I feel them. I'm surprised you can't tell that." Now Sean could see Karl's hurt, his confusion. And it might have worked, might have calmed him. But then he remembered that he hadn't gotten laid earlier and it was all Karl's fault. Getting mad again was easy after that. "Of course I can," he said. "But can he?" Sean made a vague stabbing motion out in the air. "He's not a vampire, and he hasn't bonded with you yet. He's not Harry. He has no way of knowing anything about what you're thinking unless you tell him. And we won't even go into how stupid you were last night when you talked to him." "You know, this is better than a movie," Harry commented. Viggo nodded. "I haven't seen Sean this mad in decades." "Dom must have woken him up." "Or denied him sex." Sean continued his tirade, ignoring the by-play. "You just dump all of this into his lap at once. He's not like us. He doesn't think like us. He can't cope like us. You've been around mortals enough to know this." "Sean, I..." "Shut up!" The rejoinder was whiplash fast, just as deadly. "Fucking imbecile. You need to go slowly with him, talk to him, get to know him, for fuck's sake. Have you tried to get to know him?" Karl looked taken aback, body tensing slightly. "I..." "No, of course not. Non sapreste." Sean continued his rant, pacing now, oblivious to the fact that he'd lapsed into Italian. "Bastard fierezza..." "Sean…" "...lo pensa sempre conosce che cosa è di destra..." "Sean..." "...solo perchè è più vecchio..." Karl tried one more time. "SEAN, SHUT UP!" The sound boomed within the walls, and Sean stopped, looked at Karl in surprise. "I'm sorry," Karl continued, softening his voice. "You're right." "I am?" Sean looked around, wondering if Karl was speaking to him. "Yeah. I've been remiss." Karl bent his head to Sean's and kissed his cheek, ignoring the choked 'dammit' behind him. "I'll fix it." Dom would have to be satisfied with that, Sean thought. "See that you do." Harry shook his head. "I won't say I told you so." Karl didn't even turn around. "Blow me, puppy." "Well, I would, but we've got company." Karl crossed his arms, shot his lover a dark look. Harry just winked back, brown eyes impish. "We could always kick them out," Karl replied, fighting to keep his lips from curving. "In a minute." It was a promise, delivered with another smile. "Harry's just starved for attention," Sean observed, good humor now restored. "Starved for cock, you mean," Viggo stated. He laughed at everyone's semi-shocked expressions. "1400 years, and still no one gets my sense of humor." He shook his head sadly. "Hell, Vig, you keep it locked up so tightly I forget you even have it," Harry said. "What I'm wondering now is if Vig is volunteering his cock." Karl wasn't even bothering to hide his grin now, as he handed his untouched wine to Sean and poured himself another glass. Harry shook his head, sipped his Scotch. "I've got plenty enough to handle with just you, old man. Don't go setting me up with Gramps over here." Viggo merely raised a blond eyebrow, turned to the others. "Harry wants my assistant anyway." Harry snorted at the long-standing joke, the sound low in his belly. "Please. You should fire the impudent whelp. Or let me kill him." "What, and miss the fights between you?" Viggo asked, amused. Sean raised his glass. "Their first kiss will topple governments, mark my words." Harry just rolled his eyes. "Karl. Help." Karl half-thought about letting Harry drown, but knew he'd just pay for it later. "Fine, I'll save your sorry ass again." He glanced down at Viggo, lifted an eyebrow. "Don't you owe Harry some money?" And laughed outright at the pained look on the Elder's face. + + + Later that night, Harry was sprawled in the corner of the sofa, Karl tucked securely in his lap. One hand draped across the back of the cushions, the other stroked Karl's bare back, and both vampires sat in silence. Then Karl shifted and raised his head. "Go ahead and say it." "Say what?" Harry almost managed to look innocent. Karl wasn't buying it. "I told you so." "I wasn't going to say that." "Right." Karl snorted, the sound soft and not quite amused. "Of course you weren't. Sean takes the piss out of me because of Orli, and you don't have a thing to say about it?" "I already told you I wasn't going to say it." Harry pulled Karl a bit closer to him, stroked his chin with gentle fingers. "But dumping everything on him wasn't the smartest move you've ever made. He's getting ready to inherit an empire and two vampires, and I bet he doesn't know the first thing about you, does he?" "Well..." Karl raked a hand through his hair, shoving the strands out of his face. "He knows more than most people. I just haven't had a chance to really talk to him yet. Not about that, anyway. And I didn't dump everything on him at once." "Okay." Harry nodded. "You tell him about Tokyo?" "Yes," Karl replied without hesitation. "Tokyo is important, and he needs to know what to expect so he can prepare himself." "You tell him about the money?"' "Of course. It's going to be his after Friday." "You tell him about all of his new responsibilities?" "Most of them, yes." Karl leaned back, shrugged. "It's better that he knows exactly what is going to be expected of him." "Now pretend you're a 25 year old mortal who just met this great guy and you find out that all of this..." Harry waved his hand around, "is going to be yours in less than 48 hours. Now tell me that it was a good idea to tell him everything at once." "Fine, so maybe I could have spread it out a little," Karl grumbled. "But he seemed to take it well when I told him." Harry laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls. "I love you," he announced, planting a fierce kiss on Karl's lips, still chuckling. "He was probably in shock, old man." Karl considered that possibility for a moment. "Perhaps. He didn't say anything was wrong, though." A hand lifted when Harry opened his mouth. "He was a little distracted, and he was very tired tonight, but I swear he seemed okay." "He's probably intimidated by you. Even people who know nothing of our ways know not to admit weakness in front of us." "If he's intimidated, he's hiding it well." Karl twisted around, slid off Harry's lap to sit beside him, one leg still draped over Harry's. "I can't believe he's on the edge of a breakdown like Sean claimed, though. I would have sensed it." "Perhaps." Harry shrugged, lounged back on the cushions. "I haven't met him yet, so I can't tell you. But I can tell you what to do about things right now." "And what's that?" Karl smiled, eyebrow arched. "Talk to him, get to know him somewhere that doesn't have a bed." Harry laughed at Karl's affronted expression. "Don't try to play me. I know you. If there's a horizontal surface nearby, talking is the last thing on your mind. But you need to do it." "I've talked to the child," Karl stated. "Don't look at me like that. We have done more than tumble into bed, you know." "Alright, fine." Harry held up three fingers. "Tell me three things about him. Personal things." Karl opened his mouth and then closed it again. Three things. He frowned. "His best friend's name is Elijah, he has terrible taste in shirts, and....um...shut up." He elbowed Harry when he heard a muffled snicker. "Give me a minute." Harry pressed his lips together. "Take your time." Karl thought over everything he knew about Orlando and realized it took far less time than it should have. He leaned back against the sofa, arms crossed over his chest. "I can't think of anything at the moment." Harry coughed, and it sounded suspiciously like a choked laugh. "Okay. I concede the point. You know all of the important things." Karl rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly. "If you think you can control yourself, I believe you were going to tell me how, exactly, to correct this, oh wise relationship god." Harry didn't even try to contain his laughter that time, just leaned back, laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks and he clutched his stomach. "Ouch, that hurt." A few more chuckles escaped before he composed himself, and pulled Karl back to him. "Stop pouting, love, you'll get wrinkles, and then I'll have to dump you for someone else." "One of these days, you're going to be in the exact same position, and I'm going to laugh my ass off," Karl said as he relaxed against Harry. "And I hope when it bites, it bites you hard." Harry snorted. "Yeah, I've just been dying for a pet." Karl didn't have to look to know Harry was rolling his eyes. "And, besides, if the young Orlando isn't enough for us, and I do find one, I would hope I'd be wise enough to follow my own advice." "I have a feeling the child is going to be insatiable after the ceremony." Karl flashed Harry a wicked grin. "At least I hope so. Only way he'll be able to keep up with us." "Yeah, no shit." Harry tightened his arms around Karl, breathed in his scent. "Okay, listen up. Take the night off tomorrow, take him out, take him shopping, take him to dinner -- Vino's ought to impress him -- do something normal with him. You know his body. Get to know his head." "Hmm...I have been meaning to buy him a new wardrobe. You would not believe his shirts," Karl said, shuddering. "Vino's? Are you saying I need to impress him?" "No, but it might be a nice thing for him to see what this new wealth of his can mean. Help him focus on the positive aspects of it as opposed to letting it intimidate him. We've got a lot of money, Karl." "Oh, he knows that." Karl chuckled. "So you're saying I should take him on a date?" "That's exactly what I'm saying," Harry said "Do you know how long it's been since I was on a date?" Harry thought about it for a second. "Um...does the two of us taking Lauren out for her college graduation count?" "Yeah, that counts. And that's the last time I can remember." Karl brushed his hair back and looked at Harry. "I'm a little rusty on the dating etiquette, I think." "That makes two of us." Harry slid his hands up Karl's chest, stopped to rub along hardened nipples. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Most times you're a bright guy." "Most of the time? I think I've just been insulted." Karl smiled, arched into Harry's touch. "Good of you to notice." Harry dropped his lips to Karl's neck. "We done?" "Yeah," Karl breathed, arms sliding around Harry to pull him close. "I think we're done." "Good. Cause I've got this sudden urge to make out on the sofa. You mind?" "No, not at all. Feel free..." + + + Karl looked down at the sleeping figure on the bed. A mop of black curls was all that peeked out from the sheets as the figure shifted restlessly. Even in slumber, Orlando could not stay still. Karl's own personal whirlwind. He wouldn't have the boy any other way. He crawled beneath the covers, felt the cool silk slide over him, snuggled close to the warm body in front of him. "I'm sorry, Orlando," he whispered, smiling when Orlando shifted under his hands, seeking Karl's warmth. "I'll make it up to you." "Hmmm," came the sleepy answer. Orlando rolled over, plastered his body on top of Karl's, practically smothering him. Not that he minded. There were far worse things in life than having a warm, soft-skinned body on top of you. Karl ran a hand through the soft curls on Orlando's head, rested the other on the small of his back. "We'll go out. On a proper date. Get to know each other." "Hmmm." Orlando snuggled in closer, head now on Karl's shoulder, arms and legs sprawled across him. Karl glanced down, saw Orlando's eyes were still closed. "Orli, are you even listening to me?" "Hmmm." Karl smiled. File that information away, old man. Don't talk to Orlando while he's sleeping. Check. "We'll talk about it tonight," he said, and drifted off to sleep himself, wrapped in silk sheets and long limbs. |