Poetry Series Part 1 - The Other Side Of Want

The Other Side Of Want

Posted: October 2005
Title: The Other Side of Want
Series: Poetry Series
Author: Darknightjess, Linden Jay
Type: RPS
Characters: Orlando/Viggo, Dennis Hopper
Rating: PG - bit o' language
Disclaimer: Oh yeah- this is all made up. No truth at all.
Timeline: Takes place during filming of Kingdom of Heaven.
Summary: Viggo _ a discussion with Dennis and a phone call.
Author's Notes: We pretty much ignore the filming/premiere schedules. If we manage to hit on anything true there, it's pretty much on accident.

*****

"...and I asked her was if she actually thought that skirt with that shirt was a good idea. It's not like I asked her if she even owned a mirror... Viggo? Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Dennis walked toward the studio, stepping over a box of negatives and looking into the room. "The fuck blew up in here? You lose your keys again?" he said with a bright smile.

"If I did, you must have found them. Didn't I change the locks to keep you out?" Viggo murmured from his position in the middle of the floor, surrounded with crumpled pieces of paper with sketches and handwriting covering them.

"Pfft big star like me? I give em an autograph down at the Home Depot and they'd give me copies of your shit." Dennis said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "So this for the next book?" He asked and toed a pile of cardboard and then looked up. "Oh yeah, how early you want to start out in the morning? I was thi _" Dennis stopped as the chirp of a cell phone sounded.

"Sorry, I'll just see who it is and call them back la_" Viggo started, flipping the phone open and answering it before he finished the sentence. "Hey!"

"Hey Duck. What're ya doing?"

"Working on the new book. And Dennis has just shown up to distract me, so I probably won't get anything done for a while. How about you? Things going well?" Viggo beamed as he spoke.

"I'm tired and sore and lonely and horny. The proofs on the book aren't due for a while, yeah? I miss you."

Viggo laughed gently at the pout that was audible over the phone. "All those things at once, are you? I miss you too. They're due... end of the month I think? I know I've got a deadline under here somewhere," Viggo murmured, starting to shift papers around, then lowered the phone for a second. "Dennis, don't touch!" He went back to the call. "Honestly, he's more trouble then a child."

Smiling, Dennis flipped Viggo off, keeping one ear on his friend's side of the conversation.
"Can you get away? There's a flight leaving in _ uh _ four hours from LAX."

"You've checked flight times?" Viggo returned the gesture using two fingers, something he'd picked up over the Rings shoot and hadn't been able to shake. "I..." Dennis will understand. "Yeah, I can make it. Are you going to meet me at the airport?" he said, his voice betraying his optimism.

Dennis cleared his throat, a muscle on his cheek jumping with a twitch as he clenched his teeth.

"Duck, you know I can't. The paparazzi are all over me. I'll send a car, though. And I'll get reservations at the Inn tha's out from the city. You'll love it."

Catching the sound from Dennis, Viggo got up and walked a bit away, pitching his voice lower. "Yeah, I know. Are we doing friend coming to visit, or should I attempt incognito then?" He asked, covering his disappointment fairly well.

Dennis turned and picked up a sheath of papers, flipping through them in concentration.

"Let's keep this low key, 'kay? So tomorrow afternoon, yeah? Sleep on the plane _ that way you won't have to waste time sleeping here."

Viggo's breath hitched at the laugh that followed his statement, wondering just how much Dennis would freak out at him if he had to adjust himself while he was in the room. "You're a brat, you know that? I should pack. I'll call you from the airport, all right?"

"But I'm your brat, right Duck? And you can make me mind when you get here. Call me, if I don't answer leave a message. The car will be there anyway. Bye."

"Yes, you're my brat. See you then. Love _" Viggo paused, hearing the dial tone. He snapped the phone shut and took a deep breath, turning around to look at Dennis. "Sorry, it was him. Had to take the call."

"Bomb gonna detonate if not huh?" Dennis said with a smile that managed to completely not reach his eyes.

"So you never said, what time tomorrow you want to head out?"

"Wasn't that one of your movies?" Viggo said, trying to lighten the moment. "You're more for the ones with explosions then I am." He bit his lip and looked down. "Dennis..."

Dennis stood shuffling the pages, refusing to make it easy on his friend, not this time.

Viggo stayed quiet, the uncomfortable silence lingering between them. "Christ, Dennis_ what do you want from me? You know how long it's been since I've seen him?"

"Probably since the last time he called and said - plane - here _ now. Right?"

"He's busy_ he works an insane schedule all over the world, that's how it works right now," Viggo argued, hating being put in this position. "I'm sorry_ it's not like I'm trying to screw you over on purpose or anything."

"That's how it works right now? Viggo, try for the past five years. Can you use your name on the ticket this time? Or Senor Sneakabout? And he comes back to town _ what then? Fuck Viggo you two lived ten miles from each other and still had to fly a hundred miles east of here to _ to whatever _ see each other." Dennis said, waving the handful of papers for emphasis.

"You're exaggerating_ it wasn't that bad," Viggo muttered, getting antsy about having this argument when he needed to be upstairs packing. Now.

"Yeah yeah it was." Dennis said and snatched a stool out and sat down heavily. "Fuck man, listen to yourself. This kid has you by the balls. You give me the bullshit defense that he's young and blah fuckin' blah and you sit around like a lapdog and wait for him to call. When man _ just tell me that _ when?"

Viggo glared at Dennis, leaning against the desk, his fingers clenching tightly against the desktop. "After Kingdom of Heaven opens worldwide," he said, his teeth gritted. "And tone it the fuck down, Dennis, you're totally out of line."

Dennis' head snapped up and he stared at the man that he had been friends with for almost fifteen years. "Oh, sorry man, I thought it was when Pirates opened." He snapped his fingers and said, "Wait or was it Troy? No, guess not huh? But yeah, defiantly after this one huh? Poster boy's gonna do the whole coming out thing huh?" He stood up and waved the papers at Viggo. "And I'm outta line? What about the book, fuck that your blowing me off _ you gonna blow the book off too?"

"I'm not blowing the book off_ I'll be gone for a few days and then I'll be back!" Viggo protested, looking down again, hurt and embarrassed. "Pirates was a Disney movie_ Troy was doing badly enough in the box office as it was without..." he cut off, tired of explaining. Tired of making excuses. Just tired.

"Guess Pirates two is being distributed by Penthouse, huh?" Dennis shuffled the papers in his hand, holding one out. "Here put this one in. One closer to the deadline _ oh that's right, you aren't blowing the book off."

"No, I'm not blowing the book off," Viggo repeated, snatching the piece of paper from Dennis and skimming through it, his hand starting to shake before he'd gotten halfway down the page. He bit his lip hard, going back to the top of the sheet and reading the poem through again, slowly this time, then placing it carefully down on top of his desk.

"I have to pack," Viggo said, his voice hoarse, unable to look Dennis in the eyes.
"Yeah, guess you do." Dennis said and walked out.

Viggo tried to call after Dennis, to apologize, to yell at him for making him feel this way, something, but the words wouldn't come out. He stared at the wall, the words he'd just read running over and over again in his mind, then pushing himself off the desk, giving his head a firm shake and heading for his bedroom. He had a plane to catch.

As he walked out of the room the paper laying on the desk fluttered in the breeze of his passing, the poem written on it standing out dark against the white page.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Results

I didn't set out
to be
this person.
I didn't lay awake
in the safe haven
of my childhood
and dream
of becoming
someone
that you didn't
need.

You toss
your keys
on the table,
your coat
on the chair,
and me
to the side.

I am on the other
side of
want
and close enough
to need
to feel
you
running through
my veins
naming me
taming me
owning me.

Making me this person.

*****

THE END

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Darknightjess and Linden Jay