Fic: City of London, Part 6.
Jul. 22nd, 2004 01:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seethingheathenTitle: City of London
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
limeysugar.
Pairing: Orlando Bloom/Elijah Wood
Rating: PG-13 for language and innuendo.
Disclaimer: Not true. Fiction.
Author's Notes I: SQUICK ALERT! In the UK, the age of consent is 16. This story takes place in the last year of school for the boys (who in the series are the same age.), which makes them 17, almost 18. I am well aware that some people will not read anything wherein the characters are under the age of 18, hence the warning. There will be no descriptive sex, just angst, innuendo, and salty language. If this bothers you, don't read it. Simple as that.
Author's Notes II: Heavily inspired by the recent AU school fics bymarrymemerry and deleerium, and by the film Get Real. If you haven't seen it, do.
Read the first five parts.
**
At lunch on Thursday, Orlando and Elijah rode to Trafalgar Square. They sat there on the edge of a fountain, ducking pigeons and commenting on passers-by.
“That one,” said Orlando, pointing to a man talking on a mobile phone and gesturing wildly, “just lost a mint on a bad real estate deal. Now his wife will divorce him, his mistress will leave him, and he’ll be forced to sell copies of The Big Issue to support his years-long coke habit.”
“Okay. How about her?” Elijah asked, gesturing at a young woman eating a salad on the steps.
“Her boyfriend said those trousers made her arse look fat, so now she’s on a diet.”
“Is that it?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but they really do.”
“We’re going to be late if we don’t go back now.” Elijah turned and looked at Orlando. “So, uh, maybe we should go?”
“Fancy bunking off the last half? I don’t feel like spending the afternoon shut up in a stuffy classroom.”
“But it’s going to rain.”
“What’s that got to do with the price of rice in China? If you don’t want to, just say so.” Orlando stood and brushed dust from the seat of his trousers. “But I’m through with school for the day.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Take this sodding tie off, for starters. I hate this stupid thing. You don’t have to wear them at your school in America, do you?”
“Nah. Not at my school. I just went to a regular high school.”
“Nice. My mum’s at work if you want to go back to mine for a bit. We could watch a DVD or something.”
“I’m just going to go back to school. I need to start concentrating on it more.”
“Right, then. See you tomorrow.” Orlando headed off in the opposite direction as Elijah, and didn’t so much as look back. Elijah was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get anywhere with Orlando.
**
When Elijah opened his locker, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Feeling momentarily like a smitten schoolgirl, he picked up the paper, hoping it was a note from Orlando. Orlando, the Great Mystery. One minute he was ignoring Elijah completely, the next he was telling him what a great kisser he was, and then it was back to acting as though nothing had happened. One of these days, Elijah was going to figure him out, or die trying.
The note wasn’t from Orlando; Elijah didn’t know who it was from, and he wasn’t certain he wanted to. His stomach dropped to his knees as he read the only word written on the scrap: FAG. This wasn’t what he wanted, and it wasn’t what he needed. All he wanted to do was take advantage of the opportunity to spend a year overseas and get a good education. If being friends with Orly was going to interfere with that, then he’d have to sacrifice the friendship. It didn’t seem that difficult a decision for Elijah to make, since trying to get to know Orlando was proving more and more difficult by the minute. He crumpled the paper and threw it back into his locker. Having to look at it every day would help him remember what his priorities were.
**
Elijah sat on his bed with his maths book open on his lap, staring at the pages. Maths had never been his favourite subject, but he was having more trouble concentrating on it than usual. For this, he blamed Orlando. It was entirely Orlando’s fault that all Elijah could do was to think of him and not his school work. It was Orlando’s fault that Elijah was dying to know about him and Dominic, and it was most certainly Orlando’s fault that the only thing he mentioned in his last call to Hannah was how Orlando’s teeth had felt tugging on his bottom lip.
“God Damnit,” Elijah cursed, slamming the book shut and tossing it onto the bed. “How am I supposed to get anything done?”
“Elijah, dear, is everything all right?” Mrs Watson had been putting towels in the linen cupboard in the hall, and poked her head into Elijah’s room when she’d heard him raise his voice.
“Yes, Mrs Watson. I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m having a hard time with this homework,” he lied.
“Please do try to mind your language. Is there anything I can help with?”
“No, thanks. I’ll get it. I just had a moment.”
“Very well, dear. Dinner should be ready in about an hour.” She closed Elijah’s door and went back to putting towels away.
**
Half expecting another note in his locker, Elijah opened it slowly. When nothing fell out, he breathed an audible sigh of relief. He’d decided that morning that nothing was going to get to him today, and that if possible, he was going to avoid having lunch with Orlando. It was Friday, and that meant that if he could avoid social interaction with him today, then chances were he could expect the same on the weekend. He’d also decided that he wasn’t going to spend another minute thinking about it.
He was thinking so hard about not thinking about Orlando that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “A bit skittish, are you?”
“Shit, Orly, you shouldn’t sneak up on a guy like that!”
“I said your name three times.”
“Oh.” Elijah threw his Biology text into his locker and slammed the door. His heart was still pounding from being startled. “Um, so what did you do yesterday?”
“Nothing terribly exciting. But you should have come along. I missed you.” Orlando winked.
“Don’t say shit like that.”
“Why not? It’s true. I fancy you.”
“You’ve known me for a grand total of four days, and you’ve spent half that time avoiding any real conversation.”
“Sherm-”
“No, wait. You have. And then I get notes in my locker with “fag” written on them, and I wonder why I even bother.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone, all right? You’ll only have to worry about Biology, since we can’t switch partners.”
“I just want to know if it’s worth it.”
“You’re only here the year anyway, so I doubt it. Good thing we stopped before anything started.” Elijah wanted to tell Orlando that nothing had started because he wouldn’t let it, but he couldn’t say anything, so he just stood there staring. “That’s what I thought.”
Go to Part Seven.
Author:
limeysugar.Pairing: Orlando Bloom/Elijah Wood
Rating: PG-13 for language and innuendo.
Disclaimer: Not true. Fiction.
Author's Notes I: SQUICK ALERT! In the UK, the age of consent is 16. This story takes place in the last year of school for the boys (who in the series are the same age.), which makes them 17, almost 18. I am well aware that some people will not read anything wherein the characters are under the age of 18, hence the warning. There will be no descriptive sex, just angst, innuendo, and salty language. If this bothers you, don't read it. Simple as that.
Author's Notes II: Heavily inspired by the recent AU school fics by
marrymemerry and deleerium, and by the film Get Real. If you haven't seen it, do.Read the first five parts.
**
At lunch on Thursday, Orlando and Elijah rode to Trafalgar Square. They sat there on the edge of a fountain, ducking pigeons and commenting on passers-by.
“That one,” said Orlando, pointing to a man talking on a mobile phone and gesturing wildly, “just lost a mint on a bad real estate deal. Now his wife will divorce him, his mistress will leave him, and he’ll be forced to sell copies of The Big Issue to support his years-long coke habit.”
“Okay. How about her?” Elijah asked, gesturing at a young woman eating a salad on the steps.
“Her boyfriend said those trousers made her arse look fat, so now she’s on a diet.”
“Is that it?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but they really do.”
“We’re going to be late if we don’t go back now.” Elijah turned and looked at Orlando. “So, uh, maybe we should go?”
“Fancy bunking off the last half? I don’t feel like spending the afternoon shut up in a stuffy classroom.”
“But it’s going to rain.”
“What’s that got to do with the price of rice in China? If you don’t want to, just say so.” Orlando stood and brushed dust from the seat of his trousers. “But I’m through with school for the day.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Take this sodding tie off, for starters. I hate this stupid thing. You don’t have to wear them at your school in America, do you?”
“Nah. Not at my school. I just went to a regular high school.”
“Nice. My mum’s at work if you want to go back to mine for a bit. We could watch a DVD or something.”
“I’m just going to go back to school. I need to start concentrating on it more.”
“Right, then. See you tomorrow.” Orlando headed off in the opposite direction as Elijah, and didn’t so much as look back. Elijah was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get anywhere with Orlando.
**
When Elijah opened his locker, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Feeling momentarily like a smitten schoolgirl, he picked up the paper, hoping it was a note from Orlando. Orlando, the Great Mystery. One minute he was ignoring Elijah completely, the next he was telling him what a great kisser he was, and then it was back to acting as though nothing had happened. One of these days, Elijah was going to figure him out, or die trying.
The note wasn’t from Orlando; Elijah didn’t know who it was from, and he wasn’t certain he wanted to. His stomach dropped to his knees as he read the only word written on the scrap: FAG. This wasn’t what he wanted, and it wasn’t what he needed. All he wanted to do was take advantage of the opportunity to spend a year overseas and get a good education. If being friends with Orly was going to interfere with that, then he’d have to sacrifice the friendship. It didn’t seem that difficult a decision for Elijah to make, since trying to get to know Orlando was proving more and more difficult by the minute. He crumpled the paper and threw it back into his locker. Having to look at it every day would help him remember what his priorities were.
**
Elijah sat on his bed with his maths book open on his lap, staring at the pages. Maths had never been his favourite subject, but he was having more trouble concentrating on it than usual. For this, he blamed Orlando. It was entirely Orlando’s fault that all Elijah could do was to think of him and not his school work. It was Orlando’s fault that Elijah was dying to know about him and Dominic, and it was most certainly Orlando’s fault that the only thing he mentioned in his last call to Hannah was how Orlando’s teeth had felt tugging on his bottom lip.
“God Damnit,” Elijah cursed, slamming the book shut and tossing it onto the bed. “How am I supposed to get anything done?”
“Elijah, dear, is everything all right?” Mrs Watson had been putting towels in the linen cupboard in the hall, and poked her head into Elijah’s room when she’d heard him raise his voice.
“Yes, Mrs Watson. I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m having a hard time with this homework,” he lied.
“Please do try to mind your language. Is there anything I can help with?”
“No, thanks. I’ll get it. I just had a moment.”
“Very well, dear. Dinner should be ready in about an hour.” She closed Elijah’s door and went back to putting towels away.
**
Half expecting another note in his locker, Elijah opened it slowly. When nothing fell out, he breathed an audible sigh of relief. He’d decided that morning that nothing was going to get to him today, and that if possible, he was going to avoid having lunch with Orlando. It was Friday, and that meant that if he could avoid social interaction with him today, then chances were he could expect the same on the weekend. He’d also decided that he wasn’t going to spend another minute thinking about it.
He was thinking so hard about not thinking about Orlando that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “A bit skittish, are you?”
“Shit, Orly, you shouldn’t sneak up on a guy like that!”
“I said your name three times.”
“Oh.” Elijah threw his Biology text into his locker and slammed the door. His heart was still pounding from being startled. “Um, so what did you do yesterday?”
“Nothing terribly exciting. But you should have come along. I missed you.” Orlando winked.
“Don’t say shit like that.”
“Why not? It’s true. I fancy you.”
“You’ve known me for a grand total of four days, and you’ve spent half that time avoiding any real conversation.”
“Sherm-”
“No, wait. You have. And then I get notes in my locker with “fag” written on them, and I wonder why I even bother.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone, all right? You’ll only have to worry about Biology, since we can’t switch partners.”
“I just want to know if it’s worth it.”
“You’re only here the year anyway, so I doubt it. Good thing we stopped before anything started.” Elijah wanted to tell Orlando that nothing had started because he wouldn’t let it, but he couldn’t say anything, so he just stood there staring. “That’s what I thought.”
Go to Part Seven.
