A/N: Another small twist, for those who were surprised that Justin was getting married. Thanks to Vicky and SJMPETS1B for their reviews :)
"So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you."
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
4 years later
Generally, Brian trusted his creative department, and didn't make it a habit of overseeing every little shoot. However, Kinnetic was just beginning to be taken seriously amongst competitors. More importantly, Brian had just snagged a few key clients in Cleveland, and he was doing everything he could to massage their egos and make them feel that a Pittsburgh agency could service them just as well as a local one.
That was why he found himself dropping in to supervise a shoot, doing a job that rightfully belonged to someone a little down the ladder. For now, Brian was confident that everything was going exactly according to plan. He was pretty sure that he could step away now, maybe grab dinner and get some sleep.
He felt his phone vibrate. It was Ted. Ted, who had inexplicably bloomed as Kinnetic's CFO, showing confidence, talent and dedication Brian never knew the man had possessed.
Suddenly, Brian recalled something Justin Taylor had told him.
…sometimes, people are connected Brian, through some unknown…
Ted had been the first of his friends that he had almost fucked (even Ben had happened later, and they hadn't been friends at the time). And Brian had been the one to almost pull the plug on Ted. Now, Ted had been one person most instrumental in making Kinnetic an indisputable success. There certainly was some connection there, though one could just call it friendship and be done with it.
As Brian answered his phone, he looked up at the sky, unconsciously looking for a full moon. Cloud cover greeted him.
"Yes Theodore?"
"Hey Brian. Just wanted you to know that Langly's finally paid – in full."
"Not just the advance?"
"Nope, in full. But I want to wait until the funds have cleared to give the go ahead to production. Just checking to see if that's ok with you; I looked and it doesn't seem to have any looming deadlines we won't be able to meet if we wait for a few days."
"Good idea. We'll defer to your pragmatism." It actually was a good idea; by now, Brian was used to Ted making sensible suggestions.
"I also have a message for you from Michael."
"Any reason he didn't deliver the message himself?"
"Several. First, he didn't want to disturb you in the middle of a shoot, and he knew that I'd know when you were free. Second, he was a bit…distracted…you know, with Ben."
Brian sighed. The last part was disappointing to hear, no matter what he told the world at large. "Are they having problems again?"
"Still having problems, is how I'd put it. But it's Mikey and Ben. They'll pull through." Ted said optimistically.
"Forgive me if I take a dimmer view of eternity. So what is it that Michael wanted?"
"You're staying at the Ritz, and apparently, there's an award ceremony for The Cleveland Daily there. You've heard of JT, right? He has this comic about a two-legged giraffe? Called 'Spotted'? That reclusive comic that Michael just adores? Oh oh oh, it's the same JT whose piece we managed to buy for the lobby."
"Well, of course I know JT. You think I'm unfamiliar with the artist we spent money on? Pity he sells paintings only at charities. I actually follow his work. I like the dark humour in the comic."
"Of course you know of him. Anyway. He's rumoured to be in attendance, because this is the first paper that gave him a break, running his comics. Michael wanted you to try and get an autograph, maybe a contact email, because he has this dream of getting JT to speak to fans at Red Cape. If you get an autograph, manage to get two. I think Kinnetic should have one as well; the resale value may go up as the years go by."
Brian rolled his eyes. He was ever-willing to help Michael, but this seemed a bit too much. "Theodore. I don't know what the man looks like. Hardly anyone does. Short of his agent and a select few at The Cleveland Daily, no one even knows his real name. How on earth am I supposed to find him, even if we are at the same hotel?"
"We thought you'd be able to figure something out. Anyway. Michael just asked you to try, if possible. So, if you have a minute or two between blow jobs, just try, ok? See you when you get back. Call me if you need anything."
Brian shook his head at the cellphone, putting it back into his pocket. He hailed a cab, deciding to make his way back to the hotel. The team knew how to find him, if they needed him.
His friends still teased him, of course, as if nothing had changed from ten, fifteen years ago. But everyone knew that it had. There weren't nearly as many blow jobs as people made it sound, even though it was still a running gag amongst them. There weren't nearly as many tricks either, or trips to backrooms in Babylon. It wasn't that he couldn't have them; he just didn't want them anymore. Not as much, anyway. Hardly as much. Brian was 38 now. His plan had been to be dead by 30, but seeing as how that didn't exactly pan out, he had decided that he was not going to become an over-the-hill club boy at 38. In the end, it was an easy decision to make. He himself stopped wanting it. The constant fucking of random strangers, the need to be number one and be seen as number one…he had become number one, and the need to endlessly prove it to the world was no longer there.
And yet. For all the success of Kinnetic – and of Babylon, which he now owned – there was something still missing, though Brian couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Maybe he had stayed away from Babylon for too long, Brian thought.
When he got to the hotel, Brian stood in the lobby, wondering. There was a highly rated restaurant within the hotel itself, but Brian had seen a nice looking Italian place just around the corner. He wondered if he should just dine in, or shower, and go to the place outside. As he stood debating, he saw an older, impeccably dressed petite blonde woman walk into the lobby with two grey-haired men. They came to a stop inches away from him, and Brian could hear their conversation now.
"...and 'Spotted' is in syndication now. This is the time you – JT – can afford to take risks. You know that the Daily will always support anything new. After all, we were the ones who saw the potential in 'Spotted' way back when."
Brian busied himself by poking at his phone, trying not to stare. This woman was JT? It was hard to believe. He had always thought the author was male; Ted had said so as well. And…someone younger. Oh well, Brian thought, surprising as it was, he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He waited quietly for the men to leave.
"Thank you. I know you've been very kind. I promise you, we will discuss it and get back to you soon. It was very nice meeting you again." Signalling an end to the discussion, the woman shook hands with both men, but made no move to leave. The men left the way they came, after handing over a thick manilla envelope to her.
Brian glanced at her surreptitiously, deciding that he wasn't going to waste any time. He had located JT, or at the very least, JT's agent, and was going to make the most of it.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I couldn't help overhearing your discussion about 'Spotted'. I'm – " Brian was interrupted mid-sentence.
"Mom, there you are! I thought we were meeting in your room. Can we have dinner now? I'm starving."
Brian took in the blonde – long, shaggy hair, long-sleeved button down shirt, tailored pants, blazer slung over his arm. However, unlike every other time he had met him, there wasn't a lingering smile, in his eyes or on his lips.
"There must be a full moon out tonight," Brian said, smiling. "Justin Taylor. It's been a while."
"Brian!" Justin looked away from his mother in surprise, staring at Brian for three seconds before hugging him. "You remembered."
"Or course I did."
Justin grinned. "I have it on good authority that there is a full moon out tonight." Grin fading, Justin seemed to remember where he was. "Brian, this is my mother, Jennifer Taylor. Mom, this is Brian Kinney."
Jennifer smiled, shaking his hand. "Very nice to meet you, Brian."
"So, you're JT then? What's with all the secrecy?" Brian asked.
Justin shrugged. "We're heading out to dinner – there's a nice Italian place around the corner. Would you like to join us?
There was a quiet desperation in Justin's eyes that Brian hadn't seen…since he had asked Justin to leave the loft, some ten years ago.
"Sure…as I recall, don't you have a husband-ish that should be joining us?"
Jennifer bit her lip, looking down.
Justin was expressionless.
"He died three years ago."
