Challenge Fic: Five Minutes Longer.

[tarnished-raven.livejournal.com]

Title: Five Minutes Longer.
Author: Raven
Email: tarnishedraven at gmail dot com
Rated: Adult
Characters: Sean Bean/Orlando Bloom
Chapter: Three [Final]
Disclaimer: The characters in this story have the same names as certain well-known actors. The descriptions sound like them. The icons have their faces on them. But they are characters in a story and this story is of the genre known as fan-fiction. It comes from my imagination, nowhere else.

Notes: Written for challenges issued at [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]

Challenge:
1] Challenge by angiepen
"Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous. (He is also a fool.)" Robert Heinlein.
2] Challenge by [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
Orlando/Sean. Orlando's back injury takes an unexpected turn for the worse and he ends up in a wheel chair. He pushes his friends away.





Five Minutes Longer.
[A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)]








Orlando was a bit dejected as he settled down to sleep. Sean hadn't come back after he'd offended him by implying he was getting old and forgetful. He keenly felt his 'absence', even though Sean was physically in the house.

When he'd been staying at home alone, he'd not had nightmares about his situation and it puzzled him that he was having them now. It'd taken a couple of weeks, but he'd finally worked it out. With his practical needs taken care of, his mind was free to explore possibilities and the result had been his fears coming out in dreams. His counselor, whom he still saw once a week, had explained it in more lofty and technical terms, but basically, that's what it meant. Sighing heavily, Orlando rolled carefully onto his side and went to sleep.


~

"Oh no, please-not that please-oh no-please-please not true!"

Sean opened his eyes and jumped out of bed, his head immediately beginning to throb from his overindulgence in whisky and bad memories. Padding barefoot down the hall, he turned into Orlando's room on autopilot and moved across to the bedside to sooth him back into dreamless slumber.

"Shush now, it's alright. I'm here. Shush." he repeated it over and over again, soothing Orlando's disturbance with a gentle hand to the side of his face. "Shush… S'okay." It took longer than ever before to quiet him down and just as Sean was convinced it was over, Orlando woke up.

"Sean?" he rubbed his eyes and asked fuzzily.

"Yeah, it's me. Go back to sleep." Sean settled his weight back on the mattress, preparing to stay until Orlando drifted off again.

"S'you." Despite his efforts, Orlando was waking up. "Sorry, 'kay? Didn't mean to…"

"Yeah, it's okay. Go to sleep."

But Orlando yawned and stretched, his eyes blinking rapidly. "What are you doing in here?" he asked, wrinkling his brow.

"You had a bad dream." Sean told him. "Woke me up."

"Ahh. I have a bad drea… every… You come in here every night?" Orlando said in a soft wondering tone. "I thought I was dreaming that part too."

"Nope. Can't sleep with you caterwauling." Sean joked. "You don't usually wake up, is all."

"Yeah well," Orlando struggled to sit up but Sean's weight on the covers didn't give him enough leeway. His hand touched his chest as he moved and he grimaced. He was soaked with sweat. "I did this time. I won't get back to sleep now."

"Sure you will. Besides, isn't tomorrow your appointment? It'll be a long day."

"That kind of sleep I can do without." Orlando grumbled.

Sean took in a deep breath and huffed it back out again, blowing it up at his fringe. He knew that look, the fear it hid. Well, it worked for the girls… He got up and walked around to the other side of the bed. Sliding back just the top cover, he got in, propping his head and shoulders up on pillows. "Come here." Orlando looked at him askance and he repeated the order. "C'mon. I won't bite you."

Orlando still hesitated, then suddenly slid across and burrowed in, his head pillowed on Sean's chest. Sean reached over and tapped off the lamp then wrapped his arm around Orlando's shoulders, his hand playing softly with his hair. It was warm and dark and hopefully comforting enough that Orlando could get back to sleep. "What's the dream about?" he asked quietly.

Orlando sighed. "I feel like such a twat."

"You are a twat." Sean chuckled. "But that's not what I asked."

"I'm frozen." Orlando said abruptly as if the words tore themselves free. "Everything. From my toes to my eyelashes. I can't move. Can't move anything. All I can do is cry out for help but no-one hears me."

Sean stroked Orlando's hair. "I hear you." he pointed out.

"Yeah." Orlando sighed, his body relaxing against Sean's side. "You do."

"I'm scared, Sean." he admitted finally. "I've been hanging on by a thread for weeks and now it's almost tomorrow and I'm afraid."

Sean grunted. He shifted his position a little. Then he said, "You're gutsy to have hung on all this time. You can find enough strength inside you to hang on for five more minutes, eh?"

"Yeah."

They were both silent for a little while. Orlando could hear Sean's heart beating steadily and the sound slowed his own racing pulse. "You're nice." he murmured. It was easier to say stuff like that in the dark.

"Don't tell anyone."

Orlando giggled at that and muffled the sound against Sean's chest. "I'm sorry." he said eventually.

"For what?" Sean's voice caused a rumble in his chest that vibrated against Orlando's cheek.

"Before. For saying you're old and senile." Orlando lifted his head and glanced up but it was too dark to see much.

Sean's shoulders shifted, rose and fell. "I wasn't… it wasn't that." he admitted somewhat reluctantly.

"No?" His surprise was muffled against Sean's chest.

"No." Sean realized he owed Orlando an explanation, even more, that he wanted to explain. The darkness was seductive, conveying confessions back and forth along lines not visible in daylight. "It was the movie." he said. "I didn't want to watch it. Him." he paused. "Marton."

"Marton?" Orlando's confusion was plain to hear.

Sean nodded. Even though Orlando wouldn't see it, he'd feel it. "The 'other stuff'." he said, his voice throaty and thick. "Marton's very… open about his preferences. I'm not. We couldn't… We couldn't work it out."

Orlando said nothing and of course Sean couldn't see his expression to try and glean what he was thinking. He waited out the utter silence for as long as he could stand it. "I'll get off the bed if you want." he said wryly.

He felt Orlando shake his head. "No. I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Your taste in men."

"My taste in… Why?"

Of all the things he might have expected Orlando to say upon hearing his confession of homo… well, bisexuality actually, that wasn't even in the top ten!

"Well, Marton is pretty damned hot."

"Eh!" Sean would have jumped like a scalded cat had he not been so conscious of Orlando's fragile spine. So he injected the single exclamation with surprise instead.

One of Orlando's narrow fingers poked him in the ribs. "Breathe, Bean." he reminded. "The closet's a big place, can't always see who's in there with you."

"I… God! You little…twat!"

"Shush. I'm busy imagining you and Marton getting naked and jiggy with it."

"Jig-what?!" Sean spluttered. "Well, stop it!"

Orlando let out a giggle which was infectious. Sean's accompanying chuckle was wry as he laughed at himself.

"So you…? Jeez, I don't believe it." Sean shook his head in disbelief. "Never would have guessed."

"Me neither." Orlando wiggled against him, subsided. "You two couldn't work it out, huh?"

"We tried." Sean swallowed against the tightness of his throat. You'd think by now, after all this time, that it'd hurt less. "Marton didn't have as much at stake as I did. Back then, anyway. I dunno what it's like for him now. He… he refused to hide it and I just… I couldn't. But I admired him for it." Sean added quickly. "There was never any outright argument."

"I can't imagine Marton yelling." Orlando said quietly. "Not like that." He lifted his head, could just about make out Sean's face in the gloom. "Did you love him?"

"Yeah." Sean breathed. "Yeah, I did."

Orlando nodded and lay back down. "So what was Troy about then?"

"Troy?"

Orlando's hair slid across his skin as he nodded. "You kept disappearing then, too."

"Oh." Sean was glad it was dark, else Orlando would be able to see how pink his cheeks were. "I, umm, there was someone. It was pointless though."

"Like… a crush?"

"Yeah."

"I hear you. Been there, done that. Straight, was he?"

"Yeah."

"Eric?"

"No! Jeez! Orlando!"

"He's hot." Orlando pointed out in a reasonable tone.

"He's a mate!"

"He's sexy!"

"Well, you 'sex' him then!"

"We could double-date!" Orlando suggested, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing. "Me and Eric, you and your hand."

Sean growled, a low-voiced, sexy sound. "So who'd you crush on?" he asked, obviously planning on turning the tables.

"You, of course."

"Me!" Sean yelped.

"Yep." Orlando chortled. "Didn't half of England crush on Richard Sharpe?"

"Oh." Sean was relieved. "That far back."

"Uh-huh. I had a schoolboy crush." he gave Sean another wee tickle on the ribs. "Made me want to be an actor. I had all sorts of dirty thoughts about you. Mind you, they weren't very precise. Information was lacking, but my imagination made up for it. There was lots of kissing," he laughed. "but not much else. It's all very grown up and professional admiration nowadays, of course."

"Of course." Sean yawned involuntarily as he spoke.

Orlando settled the covers more firmly around them. "I could sleep now." he said.

"You want me to go?"

Orlando shook his head. "Stay." he murmured. "Sleep here."

"'Kay."

A comfortable silence fell. Then…

"Sean?"

"Mmm?"

"You're coming with me tomorrow, right?"

"'Course I am. Now go to sleep."

"Good." Then, "Night, Sean."

"Night."


~



"If you'll just wait out in the reception room, the doctor will get back to you shortly." the nurse smiled.

Orlando gave her a weak smile in return and wheeled himself out through the open door. He could still feel the cold gel on his back, squishing against the hard brace he wore during the day, but it was mostly imaginary. Five more minutes, he told himself. Just hanging on for five more minutes at a time.

Sean was waiting for him and his presence was a solid and warm reassurance. He smiled when Orlando reappeared but Orlando could see the worry in the furrow of his brow, the way he sat hunched forward with his hands clasped before him.

"Just waiting for the specialist to go over the results now." he said, coming to a stop by Sean's chair.

The reception room was open to the rest of the ward and there were plenty of people bustling back and forth down the corridor, nurses mostly, but sometimes the odd mobile patient or visitor, some of whom shot curious glances of recognition in their direction. It made it harder, being on public display, but there was nowhere private to wait as all the rooms were being used.

Sean nodded. "Shouldn't be long then."

Orlando was so glad Sean was here. Even more, that he had a legitimate reason for being here, in the public mind. He reached out and took one of Sean's hands in his own for mutual comfort and, to anyone who might look, it was a perfectly valid thing to be doing. Orlando and Sean, Legolas and Boromir… good mates and perfectly legit, no raised eyebrows.

Orlando's hand was shaking. Sean firmed up his grip, giving his fingers a brief squeeze. "Settle." he chided gently. "No counting chickens."

"Scared." Orlando whispered. "Scared shitless. What if…?"

"Stop it." Sean ordered quietly. "'A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.'"

"Who said that?" Orlando glanced up as he heard a soft whoop of surprise and gave the young lady in the hall a polite, but discouraging smile.

"Emerson." Sean told him.

"Well, I don't feel like a hero." Orlando complained. "I'm trying, but I'm just plain scared."

Sean squeezed his hand again. "'Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous. (He is also a fool.)'"

Orlando lifted an eyebrow and managed a wobbly smile. "What? You memorize these things just in case?"

"Was you said I was senile." Sean accused him straight-faced. "Just proving you wrong."

"I take it back." Orlando told him. "You're not senile, you're insane!"

Sean nodded. "Now yer getting the idea."

He cast his eyes about for something else to talk about, take Orlando's mind off it. "I think that pretty dark-haired nurse has the hots for you." He inclined his head in her direction.

Aware of what Sean was doing, Orlando looked across into the ward room where the nurse was making beds. She caught his glance, smiled and waved. He waved back and grinned at Sean.

"Sorry. But it's you she wants." he chuckled. "That's Tash. She's a nice lady who let me stay up to watch Sharpe's Challenge on the telly. When she finished her shift, she came in my room and watched the last half with me. We got a bit… ribald."

"Oh bloody he…" Sean started to complain as Tash the nurse cut him a wink, apparently working out what Orlando was telling him.

"Mr. Bloom? Doctor will see you now." The receptionist curtly made her announcement from the hallway and then turned and trotted back to her desk.

"She's determined to be unimpressed, isn't she?" Sean muttered.

Orlando couldn't help but stifle a giggle, despite the fact that his heart was pounding so hard he thought he'd burst a blood vessel.

"There is no middle ground." he said, quoting Elijah who'd once explained his theory that divided fans into two categories; those who gushed and those who distained. "See!" he announced. "I can do it too."

"Off you go, Orlando." Sean gently urged him. "It'll be okay."

Orlando shook his head. "No. You come in with me."

"You wanted company, you should have told yer mum it was today." Sean grumped, but he was already getting up, his actions giving lie to his words. "C'mon then."


~


"… all looks as it should, in other words." Mr. Phillips, the specialist, smiled. "No permanent damage. In a couple of weeks we'll have you back in for another scan. Meantime," he handed Orlando some papers. "here's a fresh script for the pain management medication and I've arranged for a physiotherapist to call you. You can start some gentle exercise."

"I… thank you." Orlando beamed. He was still shaking but it was from the thrill of relief now, not apprehension. "I'm so grateful."

Mr. Phillips returned the smile. "Let someone else do the stunts, Mr. Bloom," he advised. "and I'll consider us even."



In the car, on the way back to Sean's place, Orlando was restrained and quiet. He told Sean he was acutely conscious of who might be watching, and was determined that family and friends would have the good news first, as they'd been last to hear the bad news when the accident happened.

Once inside, Sean installed him on the sofa, and handed him the phone. But he took the wheelchair out of reach, lest Orlando be tempted to race around while talking on the phone and not concentrating on what he was doing. Wouldn't be the first time and Sean didn't think his expensive wood floors could stand another round of wheelchair derby.

He couldn't get the smile off his own face as he walked out of the living room and pottered about the house while Orlando's excited voice rang down from the rafters. Nor could he concentrate on the tasks he'd set himself to occupy his hands. Though it faded as he recognized that while he was glad for Orlando and very relieved, he'd miss the company when Orlando went back home.

"Sean!"

Orlando came around the corner into the kitchen, his smile dazzlingly bright.

"How'd you get the chair!?" Sean grumbled. "I'll put it further away next time!"

"Oh never mind that!" Orlando beamed. "Mum's so pleased. She's going to have a party, she said!"

"On the ground floor, I hope." Sean picked up the pile of carrot tops from the bench and dumped them in the rubbish bin.

"Man!" Orlando sounded hurt. "You could be a bit happier for me."

Sean turned around. "I am!" he protested. "I just… I get quiet, is all. After it's all over, like."

"Oh. Sorry." Orlando apologized. But he couldn't stay solemn for long. "I'm calling Lijah." he said, spinning around and wheeling away.

Sean watched him disappear, sighing when the loud squealing of a typical Orlando-Elijah conversation started.


~


Sean was upset about something. Not Orlando's recovery, he'd never think that, but something was bugging him. He'd been making himself absent all afternoon and was quiet during dinner while Orlando excitedly went through his plans to do this and that and something else now he knew he was going to be alright. When Sean went quiet, when Sean went missing, something was wrong.

A shadow passed in the hallway. "Sean!"

The familiar fall of pale hair and bright green eyes peered around the door jamb. "Yep? Something wrong?"

"Come here please?" Orlando patted the side of the bed.

Sean came in but stood beside the bed, ignoring Orlando's invitation. "Yer not needing another cuddle?"

Orlando showed his dimples. "Well, they're always nice. But I just wanted to thank you." he said. "You know? For today. For everything."

Sean's shoulders rose and fell. "You're welcome." he said, a bit stiffly. "I expect you'll be off home?"

"Want your peace and quiet back, eh?" Orlando tipped his head slightly, trying to work out what was 'off'.

"Nah. Just figured you would, is all. Well," Sean stretched his arms above his head. "I'm for bed."

"Sean." Orlando's voice halted him when he would have left. "Come and sit down? Please?"

With definite reluctance, Sean came back and sat on the side of the bed. "What?"

"Which is it?" Orlando asked softly and hoped he had it right. "Can't wait to get rid of me or don't want me to go?"

"Used to having you around." Sean conceded. "Nice to have someone to chat to." he picked at the bedspread with idle fingers.

"Yeah, it is." Orlando laid his hand over Sean's stilling his fingers. "I don't want to go either."

"But you have to."

"Yeah. But not yet. Two more weeks and then physical therapy. If I'm home by myself, I might fall over. I'd like to stay. If that's okay?"

Sean flashed a brilliant white smile. "'Course it is. Been good, having you here."

"Break you of your antisocial habits, did I?"

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence fell. Orlando realized he was still holding Sean's hand but didn't let it go. The alarm clock on the bedside table ticked softly into the quiet room. Sean sighed.

"Told you we'd rub along together alright." he said.

"You did."

"And we do, don't we? Well… except for the rubber marks on the hall floor."

"They'll come off."

Another little silence.

"Can be your first job. When you're right again."

"Promise."

Orlando looked at their joined hands and lifted them onto his lap. "No-one noticed today. You see that?"

"Uh-huh."

"We could have done anything short of snogging and nobody would have even raised an eyebrow."

Sean chuckled softly. "Might even have gotten away with that, if we played it right."

"True. Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"You want to try this? Us?"

There was a long pause followed by a soft, "Yes."

"Me too."

Sean nodded. "Good. That's good."

"We might hate it." Orlando felt it only fair to point out. "You know, never actually having properly fancied one another."

"I do so fancy you!" Sean finally looked up and his eyes were wide with surprise at his own words.

"Good." Orlando repeated. "That's good. 'Cause I fancy you, too."

"Well, that's good then." Sean's nod was emphatic. "Just have to go slow, concentrate on the other stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like that god-awful music you insist on churning out at a thousand decibels." Sean told him sternly, but he was grinning.

Orlando grinned to match his. "Like the rose cuttings in the bathroom sink."

"Underwear tossed in the bathtub."

"The dreadful way you drive!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

Sean laughed and squeezed Orlando's hand. "We'll take it slow. Work it out bit by bit." he said.

"Yeah." Orlando agreed. "Five minutes at a time."


~~

End.

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