Knave of Hearts by Karri (R)

[vissy.livejournal.com]

Fandom: LOTRIPS
Pairing: Dom/Orlando, Billy
Author on LJ: karri
Author Website: LJ memories
Why this must be read: This post-filming fic just hurts. Forget the pairing; this is a story about Dom and Billy. It's one long metaphor, not heavyhanded, but not too subtle either, and Dom stupidly, stubbornly refuses to acknowledge what both Billy and his own subconscious are telling him throughout. Karri gets all the characterisations and voices right, particularly Orlando's, and their familiarity just makes the unfolding damage all the more hurtful.

"I can't believe it," Orlando says. He sits heavily on one of the dining chairs, loose fingers letting the phone and the packet drop to the table. "I mean, it's just a small part, but the more people who see me without the elf wig, the better, right?"

Billy looks up from his book-reading nest in the couch. "Elf wigs?" he asks. "What's going on?" His eyes go automatically to his precious cards, all still standing. Dom moves pointedly away from the table - I'm not going to knock it over, Billy, don't worry - but unfortunately that puts the packet of crisps right in Billy's line of sight. Billy frowns. "Dom, I thought you said salt and vinegar gave you a stomach-ache."

"They're Orli's," Dom says. "Besides, we're celebrating. He got that part in the war film." He takes another crisp, considers it deliberately, and stuffs it in his mouth.

"That's great, Orlando," Billy says, a smile covering over his frown. He hasn't smiled at Dom like that in a while. "I think it's the perfect thing for you to do next."

"Well, I'm going to go stay with Elijah for a bit," Dom puts in, before Orlando can open his mouth again. "Make some contacts in Hollywood, all that sort of thing."

And now Billy's looking back at Dom, so he must be frowning. "I thought you were going home to Manchester to sort things out from there."

A third crisp joins the soggy mash of the first two. "Nah, I tried that over Christmas. Manchester's nothing, Billy, it's crap, it's tiny. Miniscule. There's a whole other world out there." He sucks his index finger into his mouth to get the last of the salt off. Orlando's watching him; he can feel it, so he does the next as well, hollowing his cheeks. "I want to be somewhere exciting for once, where things are actually happening."

"Our script was going to be happening." There's no sign in Billy's voice that he witnessed any of that display; or no shock, at least. He sounds a bit flat, though, and Dom wonders if he's been getting enough sleep. "And that's not going to be easy to manage if you're off on the other side of the world."

Dom grins cheerily. "Well, no. But the surfing's better in California."

Knave of Hearts