Sheltered Vision

Alisa Lohv

(Early Spring, Viggo's studio, days before the exhibit)

Dominic stared at the photograph; still not sure of who it was he was looking at. How did Viggo do that? A flicker of familiarity crossed his mind when he looked at the face, and he vaguely remembered the day: crouching on a bench wearing shorts while the unexpected snow fell upon him, his hand clutching a bottle of wine that he had just emptied. He'd been feeling no pain and yet now - he just stared. Pain wasn't what he felt. Just this intense longing for something - he was missing, though he couldn't put his finger on it. What was it?

"Did you lose something?"

The voice was a whisper from behind, and it startled him . Warm and breathy, too erotic for the question that was asked, but not completely unexpected. He turned and saw Viggo looking at him, an amused grin on his face, eyes glistening as he waited for a response.

"You were looking at that picture so intently, I wondered if you were looking for something you'd lost."

And Dom felt..embarrassed. His ears were burning, and he knew that was a completely ridiculous reaction. It was just a photograph. Just a question. Just Viggo.

"No. I just..." Dom turned back towards the photograph, gesturing with his right arm. "I don't even remember that picture being taken."

Viggo stepped closer, and - the air seemed to close in around Dom. Viggo had this ability to do that to someone when he stepped into their space. It almost felt that he was stepping into them, inside of them. Obscenely intimate. Then he heard it - soft laughter that entered Dom's ears and coursed through his blood, warming him even more as he pictured Viggo's face. He imagined his lips parted and those sea-blue eyes twinkling mischievously. Better that he wasn't looking at him, actually.

"I'm almost glad that you don't."

Surprising. That wasn't anything that Dom expected to hear and he turned around, careful not to turn too quickly and appear too eager. He always felt that he came off as too eager around Viggo and he didn't care for that.

"What do you mean?"

"Because," Viggo stepped beside him, his hand arm sliding around his shoulders and Dom prayed that only he could feel the tremble. "Look at this."

Viggo gestured toward the photograph, his large hands making a sweeping motion over the matted image, fingers very lightly touching. Dom closed his eyes briefly when he saw the long fingers brush over his cheek in the photograph, imagining... No. No imagining. This was neither the time nor the place. Opening his eyes, he hoped that Viggo wasn't looking at him but he was. Well, at him on the photograph.

"That expression on your face." Another light pass of fingertips gliding across his chin. "If you don't have a clear memory of that day, then every time you look at the picture, it will hold a different meaning for you."

Dom took a second to look, to really look at the photograph and he knew that Viggo was right. He could connect any thoughts to that day. Any feeling. Any meaning and it would all be valid to him.

Bloody brilliant.

"How did you get so smart, old man?"

The hearty laughter was like music to Dom's ears; he loved having the ability to bring it about. Absolutely made his fucking day when he was able to do that and any time, every time, it was just as wonderful to him.

"I've lived." The words were spoken quietly as Viggo turned from the photograph, going to the table on the other side of the room and picking up his wineglass.

Everything that was in Dom tried to prod him and force him to go to where Viggo was. To follow him and be next to him again and try and replace the warmth that dissipated when Viggo left his side. But the last thing he wanted was to come off as some puppy dog, or misguided and lovesick teenager, so he kept his distance. After all, it was Viggo.

Viggo Mortensen. Why would he pay the slightest bit of attention to him?

Times like these made Dom want to smack himself for being so maudlin and self-deprecating. It was pointless and did nothing but make him feel worse.

"I'm putting it in my exhibit."

The words seemed to echo in the room, bouncing off of the ceiling and every wall before finally settling inside of his head.

Dom turned back to look at him.

"What. This?" Tilting his head to gesture to the photograph of him.

"Yes," said softly with a smile on his face and Dom couldn't help but feel that Viggo was the keeper of some private joke that he would never be privy to.

"Why? I mean..."

Viggo began walking across the room to him, taking long, slow strides, and it seemed to Dom that he was moving in slow motion. He put the glass on the counter as he passed it, and for some reason Dominic's breath caught when he came back over to him.

"Because. I want them to see what I see."

See what he sees? Dom's mind absorbed those words and tried to make some sense out of them. What...

"What do you see?"

And there - that smile again, soft and secretive and he felt Viggo's arms go around him, pulling him forward toward him. But being who he was, Dom couldn't leave the question as it stood, even in the midst of what he wanted.

"Tell me what you see, Viggo."

Viggo moved forward, pressing his lips to Dom's forehead, making him shiver at this first kiss.

"What do I see?"

And just hearing that question from Viggo's lips made Dom wish he hadn't asked -because he would rather be shown than told. His hands - Vig's hands - went to the side of his face, thumbs lightly stroking along his cheeks and he leaned in, lowering his lips to Dom's, kissing him lightly on the mouth. Dominic's head was swimming as he felt Viggo's lips part, the wetness of his tongue gliding across his lips and he opened his mouth, offering no resistance to Viggo, letting him in. And this kiss... Not Dom's first by a longshot, but he was hard pressed to remember another time when he felt this lost in one. When he had given in like this. When he had wanted one this badly.

Never.

Losing his last shred of fright, he wrapped his arms around Viggo's back with palms lying flat, holding him closer as their tongues moved against one another. Nothing rushed or frantic about this kiss, but it was very deep and Dom could feel himself breathing through Viggo and his hands... Viggo's hands moved down his neck to his shoulders, around his back and under his shirt, stroking along his skin and he could do nothing but moan. He was completely at the mercy of Viggo, of his lips and his touch. Some sort of backward seduction, certainly an unexpected one. And too soon Viggo pulled away from him, his hands still moving up and down his back, leaving warm trails along Dominic's skin. He leaned in until his lips were near Dom's ear, his tongue quickly lapping at the lobe before he began to whisper.

"Let me show you what I see."

Show him. Dom could feel his knees almost grow weak. To finally have something that you want after all of this time. Right there, in front of you. To know that they want you too. It was almost too much. Almost. And he could say nothing, more than,

"Yes."

And Viggo's lips were on his once again and he moved them forward until Dom was pressed against a wall, the picture of himself to the left of him. Strange and eerie and he would have given it more thought but Viggo's hands were now on his chest, stroking and pinching him. Bitter-tinged pleasure as his nipples were pinched through the jersey and he moaned into Viggo's mouth, spreading his thighs to allow Viggo to press his between them and oh yes... Dom had something for friction and now he could move his hips because this all had to be some sort of dream. Couldn't be real and since it wasn't, he planned on getting whatever he could. But even he couldn't imagine it like this... Viggo's mouth on his neck, kissing and biting him as this electric current passed through them making this somehow - right.

Viggo pulled away from him, panting and breathing heavily in his ear.

"I don't have to ask you if you want this."

A statement, not a question and of course Viggo knew the answer to that because his cock was pulsing against his thigh, which was moving back and forth just slowly enough to keep him on edge.

Words completely failed Dom right now and he reached down between them, hands moving to undo Viggo's pants, but Viggo stilled them by gripping his wrists. He looked down from Viggo's hands on his then back up to his eyes, slightly concerned that he was doing something that he didn't want.

"Wait."

Wait? How can he expect him to wait? And how the hell could Viggo sound so calm when Dom knew that he was just as turned on as he was himself? But those questions dissipated into the air as Viggo lowered himself to his knees in front of him, his hands swiftly undoing Dom's pants, lowering everything to the ground so he was completely exposed.

"Viggo, um..."

But Viggo didn't seem to hear him at all as he wrapped his hand around the base of his cock, giving it the briefest of squeezes. Dom moaned, his hands reaching out to grab at his shoulders because he just had a feeling that he was going to need some sort of support.

He was right.

Viggo opened his mouth, taking the head inside and sucking it; making Dom moan, his eyes closing as he felt that lithe tongue working over the head. He tried not to push forward, not to make him take more of it, but he soon realized that he didn't have to fight it so hard as he felt his cock sliding deeper into warm heat, Viggo's mouth taking him all the way inside.

"Viggo... god, yes..."

Dom's eyes flew open and he wanted to grab the back of Viggo's head so he could just finish, just fuck that mouth and that talented tongue of his but Viggo had a tight grip on his hips, making sure that he remained in control of this. Slowly, much too slowly, Viggo moved his head back. Then forth. Dom thought he was going to lose his mind and he wanted to weep with frustration and pleasure and too many more emotions when he finally realized that Viggo was going to do this his way. As fast or as slow as he wanted to do it and he didn't think he'd survive it. Didn't think that he could. Didn't think...

"Please... harder, Vig."

And he had to wonder if his cries went unheeded as Viggo kept up the torturous pace, his tongue gliding along the underside, curling at the edges to caress his cock just...so.

"Oh my god... fuck, yes."

Viggo had sucked his cock all the way in his mouth, into his throat, taking him as deep as he could and he was sucking so hard, so fucking hard and Dom thought that he was going to disappear into his mouth which wouldn't be so bad because... yes. Viggo released his deathgrip on his hips and his head tilted just so and he had the freedom that he needed. Yes. The freedom to grip Viggo's short hair and move in and out as he wished because he was almost there. Almost...

He cried out when he felt Viggo's finger spread him, open him and press inside and that...

"Oh... yes!"

...broke him and he was falling apart and he didn't care if he ever survived this because it all felt like a dream anyway and he would wake up soon enough.

Viggo released him and stood in front of him, somehow not seeming as tall as he normally was to Dom. He kissed him hard, letting him taste himself on his lips and he groaned in the back of his throat, the combination of saltiness and wine and Vig overloading his senses.

When he was released he just stood there against the wall with his eyes closed, letting it support him. He didn't notice where Viggo had gone. Paid no attention to what he was doing. Didn't know that he had returned until he saw a flash behind his eyelids.

Opening his eyes he saw Viggo standing there, Polaroid camera in hand and he took another picture.

"What are you doing?"

Viggo snapped two more pictures before he answered him.

"Don't worry. I only photographed your face." Using an even tone as if that was an acceptable answer.

"No, why were you photographing me? You adding them to your collage?" He knew he sounded almost bitter, but he didn't realize that he also felt almost bitter. Like he was just someone else to be added to Viggo's Wall of Conquests. He waited as patiently as he could for a response as Viggo shook the pictures gently, waiting for them to develop.

'Viggo handed one to him.

"Look at that."

He looked at the photograph and saw himself, his head tilted back and his eyes closed and he knew exactly what had happened. What had brought about that look on his face. Viggo had captured that moment for him. "When you look at that picture, I want you to have only one memory of this day."

He looked up at Viggo and gave him his most mischievous grin.

"Only one memory?"

And Viggo beamed, smiling brightly at him as he set the camera and pictures down on the counter, then moving back towards him again.

"Why don't we go for two and see what happens after that?"

~fin~