Camera Kings: One Thing

"I will send for Tien.  She will help you through this."

"Leave."

"You shouldn't be alone right now, your Majesty."

"I shall see no one. Now get out."

Sharp eyes watched above a wrinkled, sly smile from a safe distance off set. Richard had already done this seen four times, each take more dazzling than the next. Though Thomas did not doubt the man's ability to emote, there was something startling about watching his sweet Richard appear so angry. That smile cracked wider. Yes... his sweet Richard. How lovely that sounded rolling around in his head. Thomas's long, lanky fingers swirled in circles along the arm of his chair. He watched the second actor bow out of the scene and leave through the door. His gaze then switched to the star of the shot, barely blinking for fear of missing a beat. Richard, now Noreat, turned to his desk, his face hard and his hands shaking. Leaning forward, he hesitated, his posture rigidly furious. Then, in a sudden move, Richard yanked off the papers and threw the ink well across the stage. Thomas let his fingers trace his lower lip now, watching as Richard then went to the drapes on his bed, ripping them clear off the iron railing. The sharp "rip!" of the Velcro would be edited out in post.

Then, deflated and on wobbly feet, Richard fell to the edge of the bed, trembling and sobbing. Pride welled in Thomas's breast as he saw real tears fall through his fingers. He cried on cue every time. With how much those baby blues of his welled up, Thomas thought playfully if it was really so easy for him to use those tears as a weapon. A moment later, the tennis ball on a stick (now with a painted green Styrofoam neck piece) pushed up against his knee. With a love-lorn face, Richard turned his eyes down to the thing and embraced it.

"He's not dead," came his wavering voice. "Zephyr wouldn't just die. He's alive.  I know he is.  Just watch, he'll be back soon. I know he will."

A pause and then -

"Cut! Break for twenty, people!"

The reality trigger was pulled, and Richard instantly stood, wiping the tears from his eyes. His smile growing wider, Thomas removed himself from his chair and approached Richard. The minute their eyes fell in sync, Richard's face lit up like a light bulb. The boy really was an eager fellow, wasn't he? Thomas liked that about him. The older man wrapped his hands behind his back to resist touching him while others looked. "Shall we?" Richard didn't even have to answer. Giving the director the excuse that they would be off reading for the break, the two actors retired to Thomas's trailer. No sooner did the door close, however, than the two men began to do everything but read.

Thomas barely had time to turn before Richard wrapped his arms around his neck and brought him in for a loving kiss. Thomas nearly lost his balance, but regained it quickly and laced his arms around the younger's waist, his palms flat up against Richard's spine. But finally, when the oxygen levels in Thomas's brain were dangerously low, they broke apart. Thomas wiped a bit of white from Richard's cheek. "Why don't you go wipe this face paint off, love?"

Embarrassed that he forgot, Richard nodded and scurried off towards the sink. Thomas, in the mean time, settled himself along the bed, propping his feet up on one end and his hands behind his head on the pillow. Now over the years, Thomas had become close friends with discretion, like any good Englishman, but when the two of them were alone, could he help it if his eyes made their way down to those delightfully tight pants they made Richard wear? The minute he turned around, however, Thomas flicked his eyes up and held out his arms.

Richard bounced his way into Thomas's lap, and locked the older man in yet another kissing fest. The taste of his lips reminded Thomas of crisps and honey. Perhaps in reality, not a pleasant combination, but it always got Thomas's blood going whenever he tasted it on Richard's mouth. Breaking apart yet again, Richard curled up along Thomas's chest, the two of them relaxing on his bed.

"Tomorrow's our day off," came Richard's sudden voice.

"Oh?" said Thomas.

"That means no waking up at six am."

"True."

"And no working all day until midnight."

"Yes."

Thomas felt that little body shift on top of him. "So... um... since we don't have much to do, can we... uh, do you think we can...?" Thomas's curious look turned into a bright smile. How adorable...

"My boy," said Thomas; it was an appropriate pet name for Richard, now in more ways than one. "Are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

"No," said Richard cautiously. After a moment, he lifted his head. "I want to know if we can have sex tonight."

Well that certainly caught Thomas off guard. But a moment after, he broke into a sad smile. "I'm sorry," he began, "but I wouldn't exactly be - ah - prepared on such short notice-"

"I have condoms," was Richard's quick response. That got Thomas's eyebrows up to the ridge of his hair. "And lube. So... so don't worry about that stuff, ok?"

It took a second before Thomas broke out into a little louder of a laugh. It really was like dealing with a school boy. Thomas's attraction only grew. "Very well then," he said pleasantly. "It will be as you wish. How about I even order a nice dinner before hand?"

With eyes glittering like Christmas lights, Richard brightened and burrowed his face into Thomas's neck. The smile was infectious, and pretty soon Thomas's cheeks started to hurt. But he didn't mind. He slid his fingers into the little strands of black on Richard's head before pulling off the wig and cap. He must have forgotten he was wearing it. With that out of the way, Thomas's fingers easily slid through the roots of Richard's brown hair, and ran circles against his scalp. Thomas would be so saddened when the show stopped filming.

Then again, who was to say they wouldn't continue after this? Perhaps even go public? After all, Thomas was too old to care about his reputation anymore. That's when his smile faded. Thomas might have been too old, but what about Richard? Over here, no one really looked twice at a gay man, especially in theater. Except for the religious, of course. But America was trickier. Thomas knew that much. What would a relationship like this do to Richard's carrier? Granted, they were in a new age of acceptance, but even then...

"Thomas?" Richard's voice brought him to reality. His eyes were filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

Thomas cursed in his mind. He needed to be more careful with what he was thinking around Richard. He was notorious for knowing when something was wrong. So, bringing back his smile, Thomas kissed his nose and assured him everything was all right. "Just wandering off, my boy," he purred. "Now then..." Sliding his fingers up to the back of Richard's shoulders, he playfully flopped them around. "We have about ten minutes left... how do you suggest we spend it?"

Amid Richard's giggles, Thomas set aside his worry for now. Later, he would address the problem. Until then, he decided to distract himself with the sweet lips of his new lover.