Life in a Northern Town XI
Title : Life in a Northern Town XI
Author : dalehead
Pairing : Orlibean
Rating : R
Summary: This is Thatcher’s Britain - nuff said. Please note, this is all made up by me for you.
A/N : For those of you who realise the parallel between then and now and are a tad depressed
Sean almost ran to his mam’s. He was in fully fledged panic mode.
“Mam,” he shouted, kicking the back door shut. “Mam, are you there? Mam...”
His dad came down the stairs. “Sean?” He took one look at his son’s face. “Sit down lad, what on earth’s happened?”
“It’s Orlando, I got home and he’s sitting upstairs on the bed, he won’t talk to me but dad,” Sean’s voice cracked. “Dad, his suitcase is open, he’s begun to pack.”
“What did you say? Mr B sounded as shocked as his son looked. If ever a couple looked like they were going to stay together, it was Sean and Orlando.
“Dad, I swear to you, we haven’t argued, nothing, he went to see the Langdales today, about the job, I saw him at dinner time and he was fine, a bit nervous but...”
“Your mam’s out, I better come with you.”
Sean was about to tell his dad it was mam he wanted but didn’t. There was something in his dad’s voice he couldn’t help responding to. The family all forgot that despite mam being the one they all leaned on in times of trouble, their dad was the prop she leaned against.
“I’ll get my cap,” Mr B went nowhere without his cap.
They walked quickly back to Sean’s, quietly slipped inside and hurried upstairs. Orlando had put the suitcase back under the bed at least. He was laying down, both men could see how upset he was, unshed tears in the eyes that turned towards them.
“They know, well she knows who I am. If it gets out, everyone will remember, they’ll look me up and ….”
“Orlando...”
“She asked me if I missed it, missed London and I said I don’t. Well I don’t, yes I do miss the dancing of course I do, but I’ve stopped regretting the past and now II wouldn’t leave, I’m sorry Sean...” his voice petered out.
“Oh sweetheart,” Sean’s instinct was to reach for Orlando.
“No, please don’t touch me, if you do I might cry and I don’t cry about this, not any more, not for more than three years.” When he found out he’d been replaced. “ I used to be able to tell you exactly how long ago it was.” Again he just stopped. “It’s all going to come out you know, Nina will tell someone, you know how people talk, then before long it’ll be all over the town, everyone will know I’m a poof and that you’re a poof too, we’ll be run out of here, no one like poofters here...”
“All right lad,” Mr B’s tone was kind but gruff. “We’re not quite that bad, do you not realise that everyone knows about you and Sean.”
“Eh?” Sean gaped as his dad. “You’re the one who’s been telling us to keep quiet about it, how can you say...”
“Because folk aren’t stupid, Sean. They can put two and two together and make four.” Mr B rolled his eyes. “Yes, I have always told you to be careful and because I have, you’re accepted. Everyone like you because you’re part of the scenery round here, so they don’t care about what you do with each other.”
“I don’t understand,” Orlando looked shocked. “Are you saying that suddenly being homosexual, being gay, is okay?”
“I don’t like you using that word,” Mr B grumbled. “Being gay means being happy, not being a poofter but no, no it isn’t, but you and Sean? You’re our poofters. Sean’s lived around here all his life, everyone knows he’s a good lad and you Orlando, you’ve always fitted in, people like that, they like …” he paused. “Are you alright?”
It looked like Orlando had burst into tears, he covered his face and shook.
“Fuck … ‘Lando? ‘Lando? Speak to me...”
“I’m okay, “ Orlando’s voice was muffled; he sat up and they could see he was laughing. “I never heard so much bollocks in my life. We hate poofs but we don’t hate you because we like you so your being ga... poofters is ok but if we meet any more of you, we’ll beat their brains out?” Orlando collapsed in a heap, hiccuping helplessly.
Mr B shook his head but Sean couldn’t help smiling. It occurred to him how long it was since he’d heard Orlando laughing.
“Okay, okay, well...” Orlando sat up, reaching for a tissue. “I’m sorry Sean,” he looked at his hands, at his nails bitten to the quick. “I’m sorry I gave you a scare, I’m sorry for … well, you know.”
“Don’t be daft, ‘Lando,” he looked at his father. “Dad? Can you give us a moment, please?”
“I’ll go and make a cup of tea then,” Mr B replied good naturedly. “You got any biscuits, Orlando?
“In the tin, the tin Mrs B gave us, in the larder.”
“Good lad, be down in five minutes.” Mr B was trying not to sound too nervous.
“Don’t worry dad, this is not really the time for hanky panky,” Sean grinned as his dad went out of the bedroom and downstairs.
“Hanky panky?” Orlando quizzed Sean wickedly, then, and he shifted over so he could sit in Sean’s lap. “Sorry,” he whispered as Sean held him close. “For being such a gimp.”
“You’re usually so down to earth, you terrified me.” Sean told him. “I thought you were going to leave me.”
“I wasn’t really going to leave but …” Orlando lifted troubled eyes to look at Sean. “I was scared Sean, ever since we started going out, we’ve been told to be careful, not to do this, not to do that and certainly never to look as if we might do … well this and that … and … “ he sighed. “You see, I thought Nina would blow our … my cover.”
“Sweetheart, no one round here will care about your past.” Sean was almost sure of that.
“Then why have we made such a big deal of it?”
“Because … because we, well I am working class and you know how people round here think. They may accept us, but that’s because we play by their rules, if we tried to carry on like we could in say, London, well we’d probably end up with a brick through the window. Or worse.”
“Then why are we here?”
“Because this is our home, it’s mine and now it’s yours too. I don’t want to move, ‘Lando, what else could I do? I tried the cookery thing and it didn’t work out, I don’t...”
Orlando put his fingers up against Sean’s lips.
“Neither do I, I love living here, I feel like this is home in a way that London never was and I told Nina that...
”Oh my god, I don’t believe it. You’re Orlando Bloom aren’t you?”
Orlando had felt his insides turn to ice. “Orlando Bloom?”
“I remember seeing you on stage, you were amazing.”
There was no point in denying it. “Yes, well that was a long time ago.”
“What happened? I heard you had an accident.”
“Yes I did, but I’d rather not …”
“Please tell me?”
Nina spoke sympathetically and hell, she was in a wheelchair.
“I went to a party, drunk more than I should’ve, did something silly and paid the price.”
“Your lover was the artistic director of the company wasn’t he?”
Orlando shivered. He remembered the anger in Igor’s eyes when he realised Orlando’s career was over and over because of his own stupidity. “Yeah he was.”
“I’m sorry,” Nina’s smile was rueful. “I lost the use of my legs in a car accident, Ant stayed with me; he is everything to me, I just can’t imagine...” She trailed off.
“No, no, I’m sorry,” the words made Orlando relax, after all he was not so badly off. “Igor wasn’t a bad man, just very driven. Defecting from Russia? Well he left everyone he cared about behind, it’s a lot to carry. He put all he was, all he had, into his dance and he expected his company and his lover too, to do the same.”
“He was, he is very talented. I saw him a few months ago.”
Orlando felt a pang of something. “I miss dancing. I wouldn’t go back to that, watching my weight, not being able to take a day off...” he was miles away.
“Do you have a boyfriend now?” Nina asked. “You don’t have to answer of course, I’m just nosey.”
“Um, yes I do, Sean, he’s a steel worker.” For the life of him, Orlando couldn’t help smiling. Sean, Sean the more reconstructed guy than he’d ever imagined. His boyfriend.
“Really?”
“Yes really,” Orlando couldn’t stop smiling. Sean was his favourite subject. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. He loves me for being me.”
“But he works at the...” She stopped. “So he told Ant about your cleaning business?” It was beginning to make sense.
“Yes. Yes he did, and I’d like to find out a bit more about what you’re looking for, what hours you want me to work and how much you’re paying me per hour.”
“We paid our cleaner five pounds an hour in London.” Nina sounded almost apologetic. “Is that enough?”
Two pounds an hour more than I’m getting elsewhere? You betcha..
Orlando nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Let me show you around then, we’re having work done so I can get around more easily and this is my studio so you won’t have to clean in here.” She looked sad. “This was going to be the nursery but I miscarried, they don’t think I’ll be able to carry a baby full term.”
“Oh …” Orlando didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s what this painting is about. Me trying to exorcise the pain.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Christ...” Sean exclaimed. “No wonder you were upset.”
“She’s nice, I mean, I don’t want to be best mates with her but she’s okay. I can work there but I don’t want to borrow their car, I’d rather wait till we can afford one of our own.”
“Why not? I thought that was one of the perks.”
“I’ll use it to drive her around or to go shopping but already she’s asked me to dinner, asked us. I don’t want to be her … trophy dinner guest. The tragic dancer whose career was over tragically young.”
“Stan will be gutted he can’t blackmail you anymore.” Sean commented.
“He wasn’t blackmailing me exactly, he always paid me for the gigs.” Orlando sighed. “Now let’s change the subject. Your dad’s made us a cup of tea...”
“What are we going to do? About all this?”
“I am going to carry on for now. For a couple weeks, see how it goes.”
“Are you two staying there, all day?” Mr B shouted up the stairs. “This tea’ll be stewed to death if you don’t get a move on.”
Orlando laughed. “It’s funny...”
“What is?” Sean thought Orlando looked as if a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Well life, you know. If this was a story, this would be the happy ending...”
“And isn’t it?”
“Sean, I’m going to have to sign off at this rate, we are going to have to do something about the windows, they’re all beginning to warp and...”
“Alright, that’s enough, fucking hell ‘Lando, I get the message.” Sean shook his head. “C’mon, dad is going to start panicking if we don’t go down.”
“Hang on,” Orlando whispered. He leaning in and kissed Sean. They’d kissed a thousand times before. They’d kissed with passion, to make up after an argument, to say hello, to say good bye. They’d kissed for the joy of kissing but this kiss was a kiss of understanding. Sean and Orlando, always on the the same wavelength, singing from the same hymn sheet.
“Yoo hoo...” Mrs B opened the door. There was a pause. “What are you doing here.?”
“Oh Christ,” Orlando whispered. “Armageddon here in our own kitchen...”
With great trepidation, they tiptoed down stairs to greet Mrs B head on.
Author : dalehead
Pairing : Orlibean
Rating : R
Summary: This is Thatcher’s Britain - nuff said. Please note, this is all made up by me for you.
A/N : For those of you who realise the parallel between then and now and are a tad depressed
Sean almost ran to his mam’s. He was in fully fledged panic mode.
“Mam,” he shouted, kicking the back door shut. “Mam, are you there? Mam...”
His dad came down the stairs. “Sean?” He took one look at his son’s face. “Sit down lad, what on earth’s happened?”
“It’s Orlando, I got home and he’s sitting upstairs on the bed, he won’t talk to me but dad,” Sean’s voice cracked. “Dad, his suitcase is open, he’s begun to pack.”
“What did you say? Mr B sounded as shocked as his son looked. If ever a couple looked like they were going to stay together, it was Sean and Orlando.
“Dad, I swear to you, we haven’t argued, nothing, he went to see the Langdales today, about the job, I saw him at dinner time and he was fine, a bit nervous but...”
“Your mam’s out, I better come with you.”
Sean was about to tell his dad it was mam he wanted but didn’t. There was something in his dad’s voice he couldn’t help responding to. The family all forgot that despite mam being the one they all leaned on in times of trouble, their dad was the prop she leaned against.
“I’ll get my cap,” Mr B went nowhere without his cap.
They walked quickly back to Sean’s, quietly slipped inside and hurried upstairs. Orlando had put the suitcase back under the bed at least. He was laying down, both men could see how upset he was, unshed tears in the eyes that turned towards them.
“They know, well she knows who I am. If it gets out, everyone will remember, they’ll look me up and ….”
“Orlando...”
“She asked me if I missed it, missed London and I said I don’t. Well I don’t, yes I do miss the dancing of course I do, but I’ve stopped regretting the past and now II wouldn’t leave, I’m sorry Sean...” his voice petered out.
“Oh sweetheart,” Sean’s instinct was to reach for Orlando.
“No, please don’t touch me, if you do I might cry and I don’t cry about this, not any more, not for more than three years.” When he found out he’d been replaced. “ I used to be able to tell you exactly how long ago it was.” Again he just stopped. “It’s all going to come out you know, Nina will tell someone, you know how people talk, then before long it’ll be all over the town, everyone will know I’m a poof and that you’re a poof too, we’ll be run out of here, no one like poofters here...”
“All right lad,” Mr B’s tone was kind but gruff. “We’re not quite that bad, do you not realise that everyone knows about you and Sean.”
“Eh?” Sean gaped as his dad. “You’re the one who’s been telling us to keep quiet about it, how can you say...”
“Because folk aren’t stupid, Sean. They can put two and two together and make four.” Mr B rolled his eyes. “Yes, I have always told you to be careful and because I have, you’re accepted. Everyone like you because you’re part of the scenery round here, so they don’t care about what you do with each other.”
“I don’t understand,” Orlando looked shocked. “Are you saying that suddenly being homosexual, being gay, is okay?”
“I don’t like you using that word,” Mr B grumbled. “Being gay means being happy, not being a poofter but no, no it isn’t, but you and Sean? You’re our poofters. Sean’s lived around here all his life, everyone knows he’s a good lad and you Orlando, you’ve always fitted in, people like that, they like …” he paused. “Are you alright?”
It looked like Orlando had burst into tears, he covered his face and shook.
“Fuck … ‘Lando? ‘Lando? Speak to me...”
“I’m okay, “ Orlando’s voice was muffled; he sat up and they could see he was laughing. “I never heard so much bollocks in my life. We hate poofs but we don’t hate you because we like you so your being ga... poofters is ok but if we meet any more of you, we’ll beat their brains out?” Orlando collapsed in a heap, hiccuping helplessly.
Mr B shook his head but Sean couldn’t help smiling. It occurred to him how long it was since he’d heard Orlando laughing.
“Okay, okay, well...” Orlando sat up, reaching for a tissue. “I’m sorry Sean,” he looked at his hands, at his nails bitten to the quick. “I’m sorry I gave you a scare, I’m sorry for … well, you know.”
“Don’t be daft, ‘Lando,” he looked at his father. “Dad? Can you give us a moment, please?”
“I’ll go and make a cup of tea then,” Mr B replied good naturedly. “You got any biscuits, Orlando?
“In the tin, the tin Mrs B gave us, in the larder.”
“Good lad, be down in five minutes.” Mr B was trying not to sound too nervous.
“Don’t worry dad, this is not really the time for hanky panky,” Sean grinned as his dad went out of the bedroom and downstairs.
“Hanky panky?” Orlando quizzed Sean wickedly, then, and he shifted over so he could sit in Sean’s lap. “Sorry,” he whispered as Sean held him close. “For being such a gimp.”
“You’re usually so down to earth, you terrified me.” Sean told him. “I thought you were going to leave me.”
“I wasn’t really going to leave but …” Orlando lifted troubled eyes to look at Sean. “I was scared Sean, ever since we started going out, we’ve been told to be careful, not to do this, not to do that and certainly never to look as if we might do … well this and that … and … “ he sighed. “You see, I thought Nina would blow our … my cover.”
“Sweetheart, no one round here will care about your past.” Sean was almost sure of that.
“Then why have we made such a big deal of it?”
“Because … because we, well I am working class and you know how people round here think. They may accept us, but that’s because we play by their rules, if we tried to carry on like we could in say, London, well we’d probably end up with a brick through the window. Or worse.”
“Then why are we here?”
“Because this is our home, it’s mine and now it’s yours too. I don’t want to move, ‘Lando, what else could I do? I tried the cookery thing and it didn’t work out, I don’t...”
Orlando put his fingers up against Sean’s lips.
“Neither do I, I love living here, I feel like this is home in a way that London never was and I told Nina that...
”Oh my god, I don’t believe it. You’re Orlando Bloom aren’t you?”
Orlando had felt his insides turn to ice. “Orlando Bloom?”
“I remember seeing you on stage, you were amazing.”
There was no point in denying it. “Yes, well that was a long time ago.”
“What happened? I heard you had an accident.”
“Yes I did, but I’d rather not …”
“Please tell me?”
Nina spoke sympathetically and hell, she was in a wheelchair.
“I went to a party, drunk more than I should’ve, did something silly and paid the price.”
“Your lover was the artistic director of the company wasn’t he?”
Orlando shivered. He remembered the anger in Igor’s eyes when he realised Orlando’s career was over and over because of his own stupidity. “Yeah he was.”
“I’m sorry,” Nina’s smile was rueful. “I lost the use of my legs in a car accident, Ant stayed with me; he is everything to me, I just can’t imagine...” She trailed off.
“No, no, I’m sorry,” the words made Orlando relax, after all he was not so badly off. “Igor wasn’t a bad man, just very driven. Defecting from Russia? Well he left everyone he cared about behind, it’s a lot to carry. He put all he was, all he had, into his dance and he expected his company and his lover too, to do the same.”
“He was, he is very talented. I saw him a few months ago.”
Orlando felt a pang of something. “I miss dancing. I wouldn’t go back to that, watching my weight, not being able to take a day off...” he was miles away.
“Do you have a boyfriend now?” Nina asked. “You don’t have to answer of course, I’m just nosey.”
“Um, yes I do, Sean, he’s a steel worker.” For the life of him, Orlando couldn’t help smiling. Sean, Sean the more reconstructed guy than he’d ever imagined. His boyfriend.
“Really?”
“Yes really,” Orlando couldn’t stop smiling. Sean was his favourite subject. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. He loves me for being me.”
“But he works at the...” She stopped. “So he told Ant about your cleaning business?” It was beginning to make sense.
“Yes. Yes he did, and I’d like to find out a bit more about what you’re looking for, what hours you want me to work and how much you’re paying me per hour.”
“We paid our cleaner five pounds an hour in London.” Nina sounded almost apologetic. “Is that enough?”
Two pounds an hour more than I’m getting elsewhere? You betcha..
Orlando nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Let me show you around then, we’re having work done so I can get around more easily and this is my studio so you won’t have to clean in here.” She looked sad. “This was going to be the nursery but I miscarried, they don’t think I’ll be able to carry a baby full term.”
“Oh …” Orlando didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s what this painting is about. Me trying to exorcise the pain.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Christ...” Sean exclaimed. “No wonder you were upset.”
“She’s nice, I mean, I don’t want to be best mates with her but she’s okay. I can work there but I don’t want to borrow their car, I’d rather wait till we can afford one of our own.”
“Why not? I thought that was one of the perks.”
“I’ll use it to drive her around or to go shopping but already she’s asked me to dinner, asked us. I don’t want to be her … trophy dinner guest. The tragic dancer whose career was over tragically young.”
“Stan will be gutted he can’t blackmail you anymore.” Sean commented.
“He wasn’t blackmailing me exactly, he always paid me for the gigs.” Orlando sighed. “Now let’s change the subject. Your dad’s made us a cup of tea...”
“What are we going to do? About all this?”
“I am going to carry on for now. For a couple weeks, see how it goes.”
“Are you two staying there, all day?” Mr B shouted up the stairs. “This tea’ll be stewed to death if you don’t get a move on.”
Orlando laughed. “It’s funny...”
“What is?” Sean thought Orlando looked as if a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Well life, you know. If this was a story, this would be the happy ending...”
“And isn’t it?”
“Sean, I’m going to have to sign off at this rate, we are going to have to do something about the windows, they’re all beginning to warp and...”
“Alright, that’s enough, fucking hell ‘Lando, I get the message.” Sean shook his head. “C’mon, dad is going to start panicking if we don’t go down.”
“Hang on,” Orlando whispered. He leaning in and kissed Sean. They’d kissed a thousand times before. They’d kissed with passion, to make up after an argument, to say hello, to say good bye. They’d kissed for the joy of kissing but this kiss was a kiss of understanding. Sean and Orlando, always on the the same wavelength, singing from the same hymn sheet.
“Yoo hoo...” Mrs B opened the door. There was a pause. “What are you doing here.?”
“Oh Christ,” Orlando whispered. “Armageddon here in our own kitchen...”
With great trepidation, they tiptoed down stairs to greet Mrs B head on.