H O L L Y W O O D

“So?” He was genuinely baffled. Was he supposed to defend his movies? Well, hadn’t he mourned about the death of art in a private beach in the Caribe enough? “I wasn’t the one putting money on it, you were. I just made money.” He grinned.

“Alliance.” He lets it pretty clear. For a while, Ben almost forgot how Billy was exhausting to work with. The constant arm wrestling, trying to get the upperhand on every conversation. Couldn’t he just make a movie with things blowing up? That wasn’t much to ask.

His request is not unheard of. He has done that before, but he complains anyway. “Really?” He shakes his head, drinking. “Well, Billy, you should stop fucking my leading men and promising them roles in my movies.” He doubts that this is the case, yes, but he doesn’t actually care. If Billy has any interest in giving some white twink a career, he isn’t going to stop him.

Well, he wasn’t—

“Are you threatening me?” He asked, finally taking off his sunglasses. He knows he looks like a douchebag with them inside, but it matches the personality. But his voice is calm, as if he was just talking about the weather. “Why are you bothering?” He gestures for the waiter, waving his now empty glass. “Four movie deal, remember? I don’t care if they put me to direct underfunded indie crap. My contract is pretty clear on payment, and box office is just a part of it.” He raises the now refilled glass to him. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine.” He drinks half of it and offers, almost sweetly: “I’ve offered before, Billy: I can go to another exec, you know I have no ties to monogamy in business.” But if he decided to walk away from a certified billion box office out of pride, that was his own problems.

Billy realizes he’s done with the conversation, they’ve hashed out what they needed to, and they don’t see eye to eye. Billy does put in a hard day’s work, that much is true, and he expects to be paid accordingly for it. However, he knows his price tag is high. But the luxury of all that is, that he knows if one won’t agree to it, he can find someone that will. He has a list of directors he wants to pull up to the big leagues, and with the right script and their agreeing to his terms, he’d make them. So parting ways at this juncture, it’s not a big deal to him. 

“I fuck one leading man, and I put a ring on his finger over a decade ago, so lets not even go there,” he says, stiffening up. As soon as his drink is refilled, Billy knocks it back, and reaches for his wallet. Dropping a few bills on the table to more than cover the drinks, he straightens up. “It’s been an... experience, working with you,” he admits. “Feel free to hit up another exec to get you the bigger budget,” he says. Billy isn’t here to fight, he doesn’t want that. There’d always been a back and forth between them, and their working relationship had been tense at best. But it came with the territory, he always thought the man had an ego too big for his own head. 

after years of being prodded about the unfortunate collapse of his telenovela career, you’d think mauricio would be used to the feeling of having to dig into his trauma and answer any questions people had, but it was still a sore spot. sure, he ended up coming out on top, much more successful than he could’ve dreamed of, but he was still carrying those wounds. 

he had spent the afternoon being interviewed by a podcast that spent the first half asking him all about how everything went down, and his beginnings. after that, mauricio spent the entire day thinking about everything and how his family still didn’t talk to him and how he lost what he thought was the great love of his life. 

that’s why he decided to go to babylon and throw caution to the wind for one night. whenever he needed to get his mind off of life and its troubles he knew he had babylon. 

he’d spent a generous amount of time saddled up to a young starlet who deemed him her “spicy gay bff,” just to get to her stash of good drugs. he knew these girls typically had some of the best stuff, so he could suffer being tokenized for a couple hours if it meant getting a good ecstasy high out on the dancefloor. 

he had since lost the starlet, who had decided she needed something much stronger, and was dancing passionately out on the dancefloor, his chest exposed and glistening with sweat. 

that’s when he spotted someone who looked familiar enough, and moved up to them, placing his hand on their cheek, petting them and smiling warmly. “I know you, right?” he was very high, enough so that he didn’t realize how weird this was. “i feel like i know you. your skin is so soft. have we hooked up before?”

Billy sees the trouble coming almost as soon as a reporter reaches out to him for a comment on a story they were running. Apparently, a podcast interviewer had gone horrifically off the rails, and now there was a big story brewing about one Mauricio Alejo. It takes him about 10 minutes to kill that story, and then he’s off trying to hunt down the actor to prevent him from doing something stupid. Or worse, landing himself in the tabloids again. 

An hour later Billy’s walking into Babylon, two of Alliance’s security in tow with him. He’s just got to get the man into a car without the paparazzi catching them. It shouldn’t be too difficult, so long as they don’t cause a scene. There’s nothing that can be done about the cell phone videos that exist, or the Instagram stories already posted, but he can prevent anything further from leaking. 

matt smirked at the accusation. “and what if i do? would you deny me the little pleasures in life?” he teased. billy was always more than willing to bend over backwards for matt, when he could, and had been that way since the two had started dating. “you can’t tell me that you wouldn’t love it.” he said flippantly, only because he knew he was right. even before the two started dating, they could barely keep their hands off of one another. billy’s words, however, are schmoozing in their delivery and it’s through that delivery alone that he knew he wouldn’t be going to new york with him. disappointing? absolutely. the right call? definitely. despite the fact that matt wanted nothing more than a few unadulterated days with his husband, he knew that their business had to come first. they would have their luxuries once matt had filmed his last scene and billy’s business was exclusive to their city, until then, they would continue to pass each other like two ships in the night, spending time together where they could. 

finishing his plate of food, he set it on the table and turned his attention back to billy, taking a long drink of fresca water to wash everything down before he spoke. “when do you have to leave, baby?” he asked. a genuine question, though he was clearly fishing for information: how long did the two have together before billy would be gone, potentially, for several days. matt didn’t like the idea of coming home to an empty house – and hadn’t since before the two were married, but he could make do.

still, billy’s mannerisms are curious to matt. raising a brow at him, he reaches forward and takes billy’s hand and leaning forward enough to lift his hand to his lips. “are you alright, billy?” he asked, though his voice was still light. “you’re being very vocal, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s – different.” matt stood and took billy’s plate from him, setting it onto the table, sliding into his lap again. “i love you, too.” he said, leaning in and pressing his forehead again his husbands. “yeah, i miss you and i hate that we’re spending so much time apart – but that’s not going to change, okay? i don’t secretly resent you, if anything your absence makes me want you even more – i miss you, badly. but i understand that there are things that are outside of my power, okay?“

Billy looks his husband in the eyes for a moment, just holding his gaze. And then his steely exterior breaks, a laugh tearing itself free from his previous stoic demeanour. “Babe, you know there’s not a chance I could ever say no to you,” he responds with a shake of his head. “If you outright asked right now, I’d unzip my pants and give you anything you asked for,” he swears, voice growing more serious. “Of course I’d love it, it’s you and me, what isn’t to love?” Reaching over, he takes his husband’s hand, interlacing their fingers. Maybe it’s his own loneliness starting to get to him, but he yearns for time alone together. With no obligations, no commitments, none beyond the ones they hold to each other.

“I should have been in the air an hour ago,” he confesses, and now, truthfully, he wonders if he could just make a call, get someone else to handle this, if maybe he can get away without having to leave. Billy promised never to lie to Matty, he would always be honest, and as much as it sucked, he wanted to do what he could to keep some part of their Hollywood lives genuine. 

   although rebel studios was more lenient with their actors public images and reputations than alliance, there was a double standard when it came to winn. his grandfather expected him to be the perfect grandson since he not only represented the studio, he also represented the lancaster name. if he stepped out of toe, he’d have his ass handed to him by the old man. so he generally didn’t step out in the public image much, fans assuming he was an introvert and wanted privacy. 

   shaking the others hand, he gives him a look over once or more. he was definitely the blondes type and winn was sure that he knew billy from somewhere but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “call me winn,” he said with a smile as he takes the drink and sits down in the reserved area where the two of them were alone. “um, yeah. i’m an actor. you probably saw me in abducted or reach out.” he tried playing down his fame to not look like a douche. “what about you? you look familiar”

“Nice to meet you Winn,” Billy responds, offering the young man the drink in lieu of a handshake. Although Billy doesn’t want to necessarily blow his cover here, he doesn’t see much of a way forward without giving out his name. If the man knows who he is, which he probably will, then he probably will politely decline any invitation. Billy understands that, so he opts not to make a sales pitch, or to do anything of the sort, he’s just going to be nice, buy the man a few drinks and be on his way. 

“I mean, you’re just giving the money, aren’t you?” He said, miniminizing his role as producer. The fact was that in all of his career Ben never listened to a producer; and since people started listening to him, their grosses increased. Him and Billy worked well together, but he wasn’t liking the idea of being stuck to him. “Aren’t there youtube memes that have more cultural impact than all of those top 15 movies combined, by a fraction of the budget?” He muses for a second and adds a bitter laugh. “I wouldn’t brag about that, but that’s just me.” He stays quiet for a moment and then crosses his legs. “I don’t need your credentials, Billy, just your money.” Who even knew what a producer did?

“Who needs cast?” Ben asked, almost serious. He knew what sold, and he knew how to get it. Sure, ads in Sunset Boulevard, trailers being dropped at the Superbowl too. But money could get that, whichever hand it came from. “Are you seriously telling me the audience can tell the difference between which white muscular bald man I put in the shot?” How many times he had reshot entire sequences with body doubles? In fact, he was even considering adding that to save on actor’s payments anyway. 

Billy means well, he is sure. He just chose the wrong person to lecture. “You don’t get it, do you?” He asks, sounding really concerned. “I’m not here for the art, Billy. I don’t give a shit.” He had no attatchment to Origins of Power or any other movie he made in the past. “I don’t want to film in the Middle East to better represent the landscape of war torn wasteland. I’d film in a dump down in Chile if I could.” He shakes his head, frustrated that the other seem to understand that there is a greater meaning under all of this. If he had to work in another franchise, fuck, he’d do it. He couldn’t take the four-movie deal from his hands even if he wanted.

He leans forward, as if he is telling a secret. “I’m just in for the money. If you give me, I’ll stay. If you play hard to get, I’ll leave. I wrote Origins Of Power half-drunk and jerking off.” He gives him a wink and runs his fingers softly through Billy’s palm. “I can drink and jerk off anytime I want.”

“They don’t give a shit about plot either.” When he thought about it, Ben had the perfect audience trap tool: plotless explosions, badly written dialogue with a patriotism undertone to it. Who cares about artistic integrity when you can fight a gripping car chase? “I can’t lose here.”

He tried to not show his surprise. Was he just plain dumb or too hopeful? He thought for a second, as if his mind wasn’t made already. Pretending to think about, he closed his eyes, took one moment too long. Finally, he looked back at Billy. “Deal.” He smiled, fully knowing he was saving himself 10 million dollars. In no way they were gonna make 1 billion in domestic gross — Ben never even considered that possibility. China was his best friend as far as audience went. “What else?” There was alsways more in Hollywood.

“You know I do so much more than that,” he said, narrowing his eyes. If the man truly wanted the increased funds, then he’d better start warming up to the idea of compromise. For all he cared, Billy could trim his budget now, he knew the director would make it work somehow. Fuck, if he truly wanted to, he’d fly them out to the middle of the Mojave and make the scenes happen there. Or if they were truly willing to try, they’d go for those sets used on that new headlining show that launched with their new streaming service. The way that rendered the effects and moved with the camera was truly amazing, it could work on a bigger scale if he wanted it to.

“You know you made that list right, so just remember you’re talking about your own films too,” though he knew the man didn’t hold that high of an opinion about his own films. But if this was the game the man was going to be playing, maybe Billy didn’t want to cough up the funds in the end. Truly, he could go and strike the deal with the studio behind Ben’s back, and his own compensation would never really come to light, he just didn’t like being dishonest with the people he worked with. But if it got him the payday he wanted, that he knew he deserved, then perhaps. He truthfully could front the cost himself, run it by the studio then negotiate his own deal of the profits. 

Now that Ben seems so sure of himself, Billy isn’t quite so sure he wants to go forward with any underhanded ideas. Sitting in silence, he mulls it over. Of course he’s considering merchandising rights and profits in his total, but he’s wondering if perhaps he made an error. “How much more did you want to begin with? If it’s going to be my money, then I have to work a little less for it, but I’m assuming all the risk. If it’s Alliance’s money, then I have to put in extra work to convince them. Either way, I think it’s fair that it costs you. It’s not like you’re getting paid more than 50 for the movie, so me asking for 35 is not much of a stretch here.”

Historical dramas were what Dudley had grown up on. Spending time with his grandparents had left him an avid fan of spaghetti westers and of classical movies.Dramas were what drew in the serious crowds and those were the ones that were considered for rewards and acclaim. Sure, he had his fans that enjoyed his campy performances in b-rated horror movies but he wanted to prove himself. Dudley Finch could do drama. “You never know and it never hurts to be extra polite. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Billy. The honor is all mine, rest assured. I never get this lucky.” Dudley couldn’t believe it. He had gone from getting an iced coffee to potentially scoring himself a role. Though reading a script was only one step of the process. “Have you been working in this town for long?” 

matt knew that billy wasn’t going to take the bait before he even said a word. and he couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t disappointed. and he couldn’t be blamed, either. he missed his husband. but sometimes that was just the name of the game. their professions sometimes had them on opposite sides of the world, and they just had to make do. it never stopped either of them from missing the other. “yeah, but we could joint he mile high club – again.” he said with a smirk. “and you know that if there was anything that i would throw that reputation away for, it would be you, billy. no one could judge, not when i call the sexiest producer in hollywood my husband.” he sighed. he wouldn’t press the issue though, despite what they might say, in their world, appearances were everything, and it could be detrimental if they ruined their reputations. matt knew that, even if he truly would give it all up to be the supportive husband.

“quinoa salad it is.” he nodded in agreement. lifting himself off of billy’s lap and moving to pick up a plate and serving spoon. he put a generous helping of the salad on billy’s plate before reaching over to hand it to him. “for you.” matt moved to make a plate of his own, knowing that he could arrange to have everything else put away later, he pulled one of the chairs closer to billy and sat down, only avoiding his lap to give him the space to eat. “do you think this deal will go well, in new york?” he asked curiously, raising a brow at billy. “i know you hate coming back empty handed, so i don’t think you would travel without knowing your chances of getting this deal are high.” he took a bite of the quinoa salad and thought for a moment. “unless you can’t tell me. super secret under wraps producer things.” matt knew he would never really know billy’s world, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to be engaged.

Billy raises his hand, carding it through the other’s hair, tucking his fingers behind his ear. “You just want to get laid on the corporate jet again, babe,” he smirks. Leaning up, he brings him in for another kiss, letting himself savour it for a moment. He knows that he wants to say yes, and that he shouldn’t, but maybe he could just let him come for the night. With a Valium in him Matt would probably sleep the whole flight back for his morning call. That’s depending if Billy has to stay or not. He expects to, but it’d be nice to get home. “I’m the one that married Hollywood’s biggest actor, I’m the lucky one, baby,” he tries, hoping to butter him up. They always got a little caught up when Matt was filming. Although Billy was busy year round, the lack of time with Matt’s schedule right now just meant the absence was noticed even more. So he stays silent, unsure if he’ll be able to resist the temptation of a night with his husband for much longer. It was one now, and Billy had to be in New York for... shit. He forgot about the time change. Suddenly he realizes very quickly he needs to be in the air in an hour. 

But he’ll give Matty his time, if he’s a half hour late, he’ll delay the meeting and cite plane troubles. This was worth it. It always would be. As much as Billy wants to bring him with, he understands that he can’t anymore. And that makes him sad, but it was life, it didn’t always go according to plan.

The story involves a subversive, long-term invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, a group of alien shapeshifters who have secretly replaced many superheroes in the Marvellous Universe with impostors over a period of years, prior to the overt invasion.

STUDIO: ALLIANCE STUDIOS.

DIRECTED BY OPEN

PRODUCED BY: KALEB FORD & BILLY VAN WINKLE

Many roles to be reprised.

New roles to be added: