Good Business:  The Plan 2

In the spirit of trying to tie up some storylines in various fandoms.

Part 1 was written for the crossover challenge
http://www.mags-nificent.com/MSW/Challenge/XO/XO4.htm
Summary: Brian gets a call from an old friend, Zeke Tyler. Justin brought Zeke and his lover Casey Connor home from the diner one night eight years ago (see story: Illumination http://www.mags-nificent.com/MSW/AF/Illumination.htm). Now Zeke's a very successful businessman about to launch a new product - an as yet unnamed flexible screen that the user manipulates via remote to create art - and he wants Brian to handle the marketing.

Part 2 is new and was written a few days ago, posted here together with Part 3 (the actual challenge entry)
The stories work together as a series. Sorry if that's confusing. You should be able to read the new parts without going back to part 1 as long as you read the summary above.


Thank you to Gayle and Donna for always being such great beta readers.

 

"We've been abandoned," Zeke said mournfully leaning against the doorframe and gazing at Casey and Justin. Neither man seemed to have heard him.

"We'll just have to find other ways to occupy ourselves," Brian suggested with the manner of someone making a great sacrifice. He flung his arms around Zeke and locked him in a passionate kiss. A passionate, noisy kiss.

"Not listening," Casey sing-songed as he reached past Justin for a piece of pizza. It had gone cold and the beer was warm but he barely noticed as he adjusted the thin remote he held and shook it wildly at the screen on the floor.

Justin pressed a button on his remote and giggled madly. The two of them dancing around each other and the white screen as if they were conducting an arcane ritual.

"What the hell have you been smoking?" Brian demanded as he and Zeke gave up on trying to lure their lovers away from their toy and joined them in surveying their latest masterpiece. It was vaguely soup-can shaped covered in random spatters of day-glo color.

"It's our first joint venture," Casey giggled, half falling against Zeke. "Warhol meets Pollock."

"Yeah," Justin added, reaching out to grab Brian and drag him closer. "It's a Warlock."

"That's it." Brian grabbed the remote out of Justin's hand and tossed it down on the coffee table before hoisting Justin up and carrying him towards the back yard. "You need some air."

"You too, Case," Zeke said with a grin as he dragged Casey away. The smaller man was still giggling and there was a distinct odor clinging to his clothes.

"They've been in your stash," Zeke said mildly as he shoved Casey, fully clothed, into the pool where Justin was sputtering and swearing. Casey joined him and for a few minutes they battled for the title of most inventive swearer. Brian lounged at the edge of the pool waiting until they really got going then let out a series of phrases that even impressed Zeke.

"I owe you dinner for that, Kinney."
"You owe me more than that, Tyler. You're the one who sent that toy here in the first place."

"You mean the toy that's going to make you a very rich ad man?"

"I'm already a rich ad man."

"Ah, but this will make you much, much richer. Might even get you out of Pittsburgh." Justin snorted at that, earning a face-full of water when Brian splashed him.

"What are you laughing at, Casey?" Justin countered when he stopped coughing. "You're still in Ohio."

"Only because it's centrally located," Casey said with a straight face, making Zeke choke.

"Admit it Kinney, you're never getting out of the 'Burg and we're never getting out of Herrington. That's why we have vacation homes all over the world – so we can pretend we're not small town losers."

"Speak for yourself, Tyler. If you're good at what you do people will come to you no matter where you live."

"Ah, so this is like a psychology experiment?" Casey was hanging onto Zeke's knees and half-floating, his eyes wide and bright in the late afternoon sun.

"Isn't everything?" Justin countered, leaning back and floating on the mild ripples. He was golden in the sunlight and almost as slim as he'd been when Brian first met him.

"Not everything," Brian replied, leaning out and grabbing Justin's ankle as he floated past. Justin flailed and went down, coming back to the surface a moment later, sputtering. He made a grab for Brian but the taller man evaded him easily. "Splash me and Zeke and I will go to Babylon without you."

"Then Casey and I will go to Meathook. Right, Case?"

"Sure," Casey said agreeably, not having heard a word. He was tracing the reflected patterns on Zeke's legs. "You know, we still don't have a name."

The three other men groaned. None of them wanted to have this discussion again. They'd been trying for days to come up with a name for Casey's brainchild – the remote controlled-art screen he and Justin had been playing with earlier. So far they were still stuck with Casey's pet name for the thing: "George".

"I still like 'NIY'," Zeke muttered, referring to his acronym for the thing: name it yourself.

"Well, and Brian's suggestion of 'fucker' is out," Justin added helpfully, giving Brian one of his brightest grins.

"So what are we left with?" Casey wondered.

"RT?" Justin suggested, half talking to himself.

"Arty?" Casey asked.

"Well yeah, but just the initials. You know, 'R' and 'T' – so it sounds like the word "arty" but it could mean something else – like 'right tools' or 'real talent'. Gives Brian something to play with for his ads."

"RT," Zeke considered the idea for a long moment before smiling and nodding. "It's workable." He looked down at Casey, ruffling his hair. "What do you think?"

"Works for me. Does this mean we can eat now?"

"Fine dining?" Brian asked as he stood, leaning down to haul Justin up and out of the pool. He was running through a mental list of his favorite restaurants until Zeke interrupted him.

"You might want to spend your night in a suit and tie, Kinney. I'd rather spend it eating junk food then working it off at Babylon."

Brian smirked, eying Zeke from top to bottom. "Sweater vests aren't exactly the rage, Zeke."

"Then I won't borrow your wardrobe." Zeke leaned past Casey and gave Brian a smirk in return. "Come on, Case. It's time for a fashion show."

Casey just shook his head and followed along. He wasn't even going to pretend he could compete with the others. He was never going to be a club boy and didn't particularly care. On the other hand, he did have that outfit he'd bought online. Even Zeke hadn't seen it yet. Of course there were a few other things in the suitcase Zeke hadn't seen either, but those were for later.

Grinning, Casey watched Justin and Brian groping each other and smiled. He was no Brian Kinney, but he and Zeke managed just fine.
 

::end part 2::
 

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