Lee Pace / Reader (3)
"Get yourself a piece of movie-magic; the sword of Thranduil, the Elf King of Mirkwood."
-... "As seen in the second Hobbit -movie, in great condition. Bargain." you read half-aloud as you stared at a sales-ad online. "Only 100 dollars" you mumbled and leaned back in your chair. You had been browzing Ebay as well as other online marketplaces, hoping to find the sword of Thranduil to decorate your apartment. You had already bought a wooden stand that would present the sword very nicely but you had not dared to order the sword yet because it was somewhat expensive. Now however you were staring at the sales-ad, wondering if there was a catch behind the rather affordable price.
You decided to try your luck anyway and sent the seller called "Grinner" a message. "Hi, I'm (Y/N) and very interested in the sword that you're selling" you typed and took a deep, hope-filled breath before continuing. "If it is still available, I would be more than happy to buy it" you wrote and then signed the message with your name. You decided to add your phone number too so the seller would be able to call you if he or she wanted to. After reading the message through a couple of times just to be sure that there were neither grammar nor spelling mistakes or typos, you clicked "send" with the mouse and closed the sales-ad.
It was Friday evening, quite early still, and you were facing a weekend free from work. You had pretty much planned to relax and enjoy the weekend in silence because you had been so busy at work during the past three weeks and during the free time you had been running around taking care of chores, meeting friends and even gone out for a couple of dates with a guy who had given you his number when you had been waiting for the bus one rainy evening. The guy had been nice and the dates had been quite enjoyable as well, but there had been no butterflies which had made the whole dating-thing rather pointless. Besides the guy had been more focused on his phone than you and after the fourth date you had pretty much run out of things to say to each other... or more like... you had grown tired of coming up with topics to talk about since the guy participated only by basically answering your questions as shortly as possible and then returning to the more interesting conversations that he was having with other people via his smart phone apps.
Suddenly your phone rang. You took it out from your pocket and stared at the number that you did not recognize. You were about to mute the ringtone and put the phone back into your pocket but then you realised that maybe it was the seller of the sword who was now calling you. You cleared your throat and pressed the green icon on the screen to answer the call. You said your name and for your surprise you were greeted by a familiar-sounding voice. The caller presented himself as "Grinner" and told you that you had emailed him about the sword.
- Oh yes! I did. you exclaimed with an overly enthusiastic tone. You had not wanted to sound too enthusiastic but you just couldn't help it since you really wanted to buy the sword. You wanted it because you adored the Tolkien's elves; they were graceful and beautiful, yet strong and dangerous... and Lee Pace's Thranduil... oh well, safe to say, he was in a different league alltogether.
- Can you come and get it today? the man asked with slightly slurred voice. He had obviously been drinking, rather a lot actually, or that was what you deduced from his tone and incapability to articulate clearly.
- Sure. Text me the address. you said and walked into the kitchen.
You had been heating up the oven for dinner but now that your plans had apparently changed you turned the oven off and put the dinner-ingredients back into the fridge. The man hung up and soon he texted you his address, although there were many typos in the text. You checked the route and the bus schedule and then left your apartment. First you stopped at the ATM and withdrew hundred dollars to pay the sword and then you headed to the bus that took you to the edge of a fancy-looking neighborhood where the seller was living. However you had to walk almost two kilometers from the nearest bus stop since apparently the neighborhood was too fancy for public transportation. When you reached the gate of Grinner's house you pressed a button, a kind of doorbell and after a moment you heard a metallic voice from the speaker.
- Yes? the voice asked.
- Hi, it's (Y/N). I came to pick the sword up. you spoke nervously. Right after you had finished talking there was a loud buzzing sound followed by a click. You reasoned that the gate's lock was now open and pushed the gate open, just enough for you to sneak in. You shut the gate and walked forward to the beautiful house via the driveway. The house was large and it was surrounded by a garden that... had seen better days. The grass had not been watered for days and there were brown spots here and there and now that you looked at the house from a closer distance, you noticed that the windows, all of them, were covered with curtains... which made the house look a bit... spooky.
Finally you were at the front door. You took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. After a minute you heard someone walking to the door, unlocking it and then opening it. You stared at the tall man who had a messy beard as well as messy hair. He was wearing very casual clothes, a large t-shirt and long pajama pants, and walking barefoot. He groaned when the setting sun hit his eyes and turned away, leaving the door open for you. You stepped into the entrance hall. The house was dark and somewhat messy and you could smell alcohol. You followed the man into the living room and watched him taking the sword off from his wall and placing it on the table. You took your wallet out from your purse, took a fresh bill of hundred dollars out and gave it to the man after taking a quick look at the sword. You noticed that it had no "Hobbit" logo which meant that it was not the official fan-merchandise.
- This is not an official replica, is it? you asked or more like stated.
- No. It is the one that was used in the Hobbit -movie. the man stated.
- You're kidding me. you chuckled with strong disbelief in your voice.
- No. It was given to me by Peter Jackson on the last day of filming the Hobbit. the man said and suddenly you realized that you knew who the man was!
- Mr. Pace, I cannot take it. you said and stepped away from the sword.
- It is mine to sell it to anyone who is willing to buy it. Pace stated with a drunken voice.
- Sure, but I don't think you should sell it. you said and then added "I think you will regret it if you do" with a soft yet slightly cautious tone.
- I don't want it anymore. Just reminds me that the highest point of my career is behind me. he said and scoffed. You sighed as you recalled that the latest movie where Mr. Pace had starred had been a major flop at the box office and the critics had hated it as well.
- I think you're being a bit too dramatic. There will be new roles in other movies. you stated firmly yet in a friendly and reassurring way.
- Ha! Pace scoffed.
- Fine! Wallow in self-pity if that makes you happy. you said and rolled your eyes. "But just so you know, you're the reason why I liked the Hobbit -movies!" you added and then continued by saying "Sure, your latest movie was not a hit but shit happens! I have faced failures too so you're not the only one. It happens, get over it." Mr. Pace however did not comment but you could see it in his eyes that your statement had not cheered him up but irritated him. An awkward silence followed.
- Do you want the sword or not? he asked bitterly, breaking the bothersome silence, grabbed a bottle from the table and emptied it with one long gulp.
- No. you replied.
- Then get out from my house. he said and after pointing at the front door with the bottle he put it on the table. The bottle however toppled over and rolled over the edge, fell to the floor and shattered into different sized pieces accompanied by a loud, high pitched sound.
- Whatever. you mumbled and turned away. You started walking to the direction of the door but you suddenly stopped in the halfway and turned to look at the man whom you had been dreaming about ever since the second Hobbit -movie. The sight made you heart ache but at the same time you felt somewhat disgusted; it was his untidy appearance combined to the heavy scent of alcohol that was making you feel very unpleasant and somewhat nervous.
- I think you just need a long shower, some rest and a... hug. you said with a deep sigh.
- Oh, let me guess, you'll volunteer. Pace scoffed. "Will you wash my back as well?" he added mockingly.
- Okay, that's it. I want my money back. you said and walked back into the living room. You were much shorter than Mr. Pace, who was almost two meters tall and was rather majestically build in every way... or would have been if he had not been defeated by failure of his latest movie... and therefore it took a great amount of courage to stand up to him.
- No, you'll take the sword and get out. Pace exclaimed and stepped on the sharp pieces of glass which made him cry in pain.
- Fine, but after you have taken a shower, eaten something and gotten some rest. you stated amd folded your arms to appear more assertive.
For your surprise Mr. Pace dropped his head and turned away and after pulling a small piece of glass out from the sole of his foot he walked into the bathroom and took a shower. In the meantime you collected the shattered bottle from the floor and checked if there was anything to eat in his fridge. It however was almost empty. You managed to find ingredients for two sandwiches and put them on a plate for your favorite actor. You also filled a large glass with cold water and carried the plate and the glass to the dining table. Soon Mr. Pace came out from the shower, wearing nothing but a towel on his hips. You gestured him to sit by the table and sat on the opposite side from him.
- Do you want to talk about it? you asked and leaned back in the chair while exhaling deeply.
- Not really. Pace replied. You smiled with a nod and scanned the expressions of your favorite actor as he munched the sandwich you had made for him. You both were silent until he had eaten and then you told him to get some sleep. You walked him into his bedroom and watched him laying down after he had changed the towel into clean pajama pants, but just as you were about to leave, he suddenly asked you to stop and stay with him.
- I could really use that hug now. he mumbled and rolled on his side, facing away from you. You went through your options and then walked to the other side of the bed, sat on the edge and after taking your shoes off, you lay down next to Mr. Pace.
Mr. Pace pulled the covers on you and him and snuggled closer. He rested his head on your chest and fell asleep almost instantly as you gently stroked his wet hair and listened to the sound of his calm breathing. You held him while he slept, incapable of sleeping yourself because you did not sleep that well in strange situations or new places and this was a combination of those both. Then, when the morning came, you sneaked out from the bed to clean the house a little. You opened the curtains, put the dirty plates, glasses and cutlery into the dishwasher, wiped the tables with a wet, soapy cloth and even vacuumed the apartment, hoping that Mr. Pace wouldn't wake up.
Then you placed the sword back on the wall and ordered some groceries online because Mr. Pace's fridge was now officially empty. Well, it had not been empty but as you had gone through what he had, you had ended up throwing away many jars and other packages of food that was beyond eatable. When the delivery came you paid for the items, put them into the fridge and wrote a note for Mr. Pace. You wished him all the best and told him that you wanted him to have the sword as a reminder of the great adventure. It was early afternoon, Saturday, when you sneaked out from his house, walked to the nearest bus stop and returned to the city.
Lee Pace woke up. He was feeling mentally a bit better but physically even worse than during the previous evening. He found your note and cursed aloud that he had been a complete jerk towards you. He walked into the bathroom, shaved for the first time in days and after taking a quick shower to wake himself up, checking the cut on his foot and changing the bandage, he walked into the living room that was now clean. It was not super clean but it was... inviting and fresh. Next he walked into the kitchen and checked the fridge because he was starving. The sight made him gasp "What the hell" with a surprised tone when he found the fridge filled with fresh groceries instead of stuff that had been way overdue. Lee decided to make an omelet and he also made sure to drink plenty of water so the hangover would go away faster. Then he got dressed, brushed his hair and took out the garbage including the empty bottles. It was a beautiful day, not too hot but pleasantly warm and there was a light breeze coming from the sea.
Lee checked out the headlines of the yellow press with his phone because he feared that you had sold your story to the paparazzi. Maybe you had taken pictures of the mess as well as the passed-out movie star but after searching the Internet for fifteen minutes, he sighed relieved since there was no news of him and the low state where he had been for the past week... ever since the premiere of his new movie. He had actually started to drink in the party and continued drinking more or less throughout the following week. Now it had been a week since the movie had opened in the theaters and Lee realized that he had wasted a full week feeling sorry for himself... yes... so sorry actually that he had started to sell the things that he had gotten from the movie sets to remind him about the completed projects.
Suddenly he remembered that he had not given you your money back... and you had not taken the sword either, the second matter he was very pleased and relieved about. You had been right; if he had sold the sword to you, he would have regretted it now... now that he was sober that was. He also knew that you were right about the failures; they happened to everyone and there was nothing else to be done but to stand up and keep going forward. However what really baffled the famous movie star was the way you had been kind towards him even though he had been very rude towards you. You had even held him during the night and Lee had a feeling that your gesture had been sincere. It meant that he couldn't move forward before apologizing for his actions and making amends to you.
But... what if you did not want to see him again? There was only one way to find out and therefore Lee googled you and for his luck he found out where you lived. He put on his sunglasses and headed to the bus stop because he was not sure if he was sober enough to drive yet. To be arrested for driving under influence was the last thing he needed now because he knew that it would be all over the news in a heartbeat. Lee also googled the nearest store that sold movie replicas and stopped by one before continuing his painfully slow journey, using public transportation like a normal human being. Then he had arrived to your apartment building. He shouted "Keep the door open" to a woman who was leaving the building and sneaked into the stairway. He took the elevator to your floor and knocked on your door after taking a deep breath.
You were sleeping when you heard someone knocking at your door. "Just a second!" you shouted and got up from the bed, made sure that you looked fairly presentable and then walked to the front door of your apartment. You were partially asleep, hitting every piece of the furniture on your way to the entrance hall and then without further ado, you opened the door. "Yes?" you asked and yawned without paying too much attention to the visitor. "Hi, (Y/N)" Lee said with a deep, friendly tone and smiled at you. It was that familiar voice again! This familiarity woke you up completely and finally you looked up. You were greeted by a sight that was very different from the sight that had greeted you yesterday; Lee Pace was smiling at you, he looked tidy and sharp, he did not smell of alcohol and he was much calmer now... and taller. Yes, he was standing with a great posture, wearing fitting clothes and it seemed like a huge weight had melted away from his shoulders. He looked very handsome, just like in the pictures and this unexpected sight made you lose your capability to form any sentences.
What was he doing here? How had he found out where you lived? What did he want from you? You stared at him silently with a surprised look on your face as your mind kept replaying these three questions over and over again. The seconds slipped away without mercy and suddenly it had been over a minute of staring each other; you with a puzzled look on your face and Lee with a smile on his. Neither of you said anything until Lee broke the silence by asking
- May I come in?