The Fool On The Hill [COMPLETE]

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

"Myself will straight aboard; and to the state this heavy act with heavy heart relate." The curtain came down on the stage. After waiting a few minutes, it was lifted up again so the actors and actresses could take their bows to the renewed vigor of applause from the audience. The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Othello had been a big hit tonight. And Will was hoping that all of the critics out there would be more than happy with his portrayal of the villain, Iago, of the play. It was kind of ironic that he had landed the role, since so many Shakespeare scholars believed Iago to be gay and now Will, who was also very much gay, although no one but his ex-boyfriends knew it, was playing him.

Most of those thoughts, however, were far from his head as the curtain came down for the final time. The actors and actresses with the lesser roles were quick in gathering up their things and leaving. Rarely did they stick around to partake in any after the play festivities or meetings and greetings. Will was in his dressing room straightening his suit jacket on himself when he heard a knock on his door. "Just a minute!" he shouted out to whoever it was as he took one last look in the mirror. Will was satisfied with what he saw, and he answered the door.

It was the manager of the company--standing there with a big grin on his face. "You'll never believe it, Will," he said, "Well, you might believe it...There was a big up and coming manager of some band that's trying to become all big and famous here tonight." His manager stopped to catch his breath, and Will let out a small chuckle at his happiness. It wasn't that rare to get someone famous or working on becoming famous attending their performances and, yet, his manager seemed to get overly excited each and every time.

"Does this man have a name?" Will inquired, just to give his manager a few extra seconds to catch his breath. "Yeah," he answered. "But I forget it," he added with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyways, he really wants to meet all of you...as a matter of fact, he asked for you specifically. You did real good tonight, Will!" His manager gave him a pat on the back, half-dragging Will out of his room. Will had just enough time to close the door behind him.

His manager led him towards the common lounge area, which Will saw was devoid of all people right now except for...Wait...No, that couldn't be him. When was the last time Will had seen him? Seven...Eight years ago? It had to be at last that long. "Thanks," he said to his manager, "I can handle things from here I think." His manager started to wander off, giving Brian a perfunctory wave goodbye.

Will made his way over to Brian, taking his sweet old time. "Brian," he said, not sure exactly what the proper greeting was for an ex-boyfriend he hadn't seen in almost a decade, "It's been awhile."

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

Brian Epstein hadn't always been seen as a classy sort of fellow. This was something that he was all too aware of, even with his success now. His family had been working class. In fact his father had been rather hell bent on him following in his steps of running his store.. Two now. While Brian had entertained his notion for a little while, not necessarily by choice, he eventually defied him by going into the military, then to school for acting, then by being a manager, then by being a homosexual.. Though not necessarily in that order. Luckily for him his father was nver disgusted by any of this, though it was never really discussed either, he just saw it as Brian being defiant. Like something as casual as a small child deciding to run when his father said to walk. All of this being said.. Brian had always enjoyed the theatre and the distraction that it provided... Whether he was acting or observing.

There were a number of things that had brought him to this particular production. One of which was his general love for Shakespeare. Having gone to school in England for a short time he had been flooded with the works and it had been obsorbed into his blood like the nutrients it so desperately needed. Brian loved words immensely. Written. Spoken. It just didn't matter. Shakespeare always did the trick. Another reason was that it was excellent networking. The highbrows could always be seen at events like these and Brian could make some connections for the band. Another reason involved the man that had been seated beside him the whole performance: George Harrison.

The youngest Beatle lately had felt a bit out of place. He had never said anything but Brian made his own assumptions based on the boy's actions. George was the youngest and when the band went through losing Peter George didn't really have anyone. Paul and John were the team. George was kind of on the outside. Yes Ringo was brought in and Harrison seemed to bond with him instantly, ironic given that each were the oldest and youngest of the band respectively. Brian saw this for exactly what it was. It was no secret that George would be missing out on a great deal of what his younger years should have brought him: University for one. Brian pitied him. Then there was the whole Lennon thing. For a brief instant George seemed to mirror a lot of what John did and this was something that Brian could CERTAINLY do without. They didn't need two! But he adored them both. These were his boys after all! And he had arranged today as an outing for just the two of them. A QUIET outing involving some classic theatre.

The final reason involved a certain someone who was on the stage playing the role of Iago. George wasn't aware but Brian, nearly a decade ago, had a fling with the man on stage. It was no secret to the Beatles of Brian's homosexuality but his partners usually were. And lucky for Epstein the glint of intrigue in his eye could be mistaken for interest in the performance. This was very lucky indeed.

George had managed to 'behave' for a great deal of the performance something Brian noted. It must have been because he was on his own, without the other three. For the most part he sat still. He watched. He even looked interested. Ugh... Brian's stomach did a turn. He felt like a bloody father. He didn't need that one bit! Not now... He could have sworn he even gave George's knee a whack when he pretended to make snoring noises during one of Desdemona's monologues (however he did compliment her on her bossom). But they had made it through.

Brian rose to his feet in applause and without looking at the guitarist yanked him to his feet as well. The guidance never stopped it seemed. George was rather antsy to get back to the hotel to tell Ringo, John, and Paul all about it (of course, of course) and while Brian was amused by the excited display he couldn't go with him. No, there was something else he had to do this evening. Politely telling George to go along, after a slight moment of resistence, Brian found himself walking toward the backstage area. He had never been skilled at lying but somehow he managed to turn some half truths into full blown ideals which had the director and managers of the theatre eating out of his hand... In particular Will's manager which he had spotted out of the crowd with ease. Brian always prided himself at being observent. Now he had gotten himself into a situation that he wasn't sure he ever wanted to be in.

Standing alone in the lounge that he had been abandoned in he looked up when he heard the voices approach. And that's when he saw him. Brian didn't say anything right away. No, with members of the similar sex he always was able to play it cool which was weird because he was attracted to them! He still had trouble with the females though which was even weirder because he wanted nothing to do with them! Oh... His mind.

Brian gave a polite nod of thank you to Will's manager before calmly looking to the young actor. Young. He was still young. He looked older but he still had that aura of inexperience around him... Something that always managed to attract Brian though not his love.

"William." He greeted in a similar, grounded way. "Indeed it has." He let out a bit of a sigh, pocketing his hands in his coat pockets as he relaxed. "So... I see that you can't stay away from the manager type." He observed with a rare troublemaking little smile. "A bit more jittery than I, I must say." Of course he was teasing. He just couldn't help it now that Will was a big deal.. And now that he himself was.. Well.. A bigger one. Was he cocky? Yes, sure. A bit. Did he have the right to be? Most definitely.

"Too good to hire me then?" Another joke. He just couldn't help it. What else could he say other than: 'Sorry for dumping you. I was just using you. Hope you understand mate.' Yes. The prior was definitely a far better option.

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

Will didn't consider something that had lasted around two months only a fling...at least not back then he hadn't. He had been no more than twenty-years-old when they had had their brief little tenure together. Two months hadn't been the longest he had ever been with another man but it was up there. And Will should have known that as soon as Brian had started dragging him along to some of his business meetings that things were doomed to fail. He had always been paranoid about those meetings, wondering whether or not Brian's clients knew that something was up between the two of them.

But over the intervening years, Will had learned to forgive (a lot) and forget (a little bit). Maybe he was doomed to be alone forever and maybe that was for the best. After all, was finding that special someone really that important? He had a very successful career going for himself, one that required a lot of traveling on his part. Besides, he was never alone, always surrounded by friends and fans. So his sex life wasn't that great...Big deal. There were more important things to life…like not letting anyone know that he just wasn’t capable of loving a woman.

The actor just hoped that they would be able to keep things civil between themselves tonight. Will wasn't going to have a problem doing that on his part and he hoped the same was true on Brian's part as well. Then again, it was Brian who had broken things off so why shouldn't the manager be anything but civil? But just because Will was more than willing to remain civil it didn't mean that he was in a very teasing or joking kind of mood. Will shrugged his shoulders. "He does what he's paid to do. No more, no less."

He bit down on his lower lip to keep himself from saying anything that he might regret in regards to Brian's next teasing statement. Will was determined to think before acting tonight, instead of doing things the other way around, which was how he was more times than not. That little statement of Brian's hurt him more than he was ever going to admit. There had been a time back then that the young Will had dreamed of having Brian become his manager. He had just been an aspiring actor back then and had had dreams like that that he now knew would have been impossible to fulfill.

Of course, he wasn't going to admit any of that to Brian; he could barely admit any of it to himself. "It appears to be a good thing that I didn't hire you," he said, trying to turn Brian's teasing into a more serious line of conversation, "I hear this band you're managing now is the real deal." Will wasn't a very musically inclined man. He played the piano and listened to the radio on his way to work but that was about it. He was sure that he had heard some of the Beatles' tunes but he couldn't tell Brian which ones.

"Was this your first time seeing me on stage?" Okay. That was kind of a weird question to ask and Will slightly acting before thinking but it was going to bother him if he didn't know. He knew what a big fan of the Bard's plays Brian was so could the manager have really gone eight years without seeing Will on stage? Maybe Brian just hadn't noticed him at first because Will had been regulated to the lesser roles upon first joining the company and hadn't been the leading man until a couple of years ago.

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

Brian hadn't taken the breakup as roughly as William had. And why would he? He was the older one. He had more experience. The entire relationship he held a great deal of the power and therefore he always knew what was going on while Will was left guessing. This was intentional. Brian always made an attempt to keep those, no matter how close, at an arm's length. Ontop of that Brian had always known William had been the equivalent of a trophy. He was young, naive to an extent, and very good looking. A sweet boy sure. All in all a good catch to have a roundabout with. Did he care for the man at the time? Yes. Even if he didn't want to. In fact when Brian had ended it he was shocked that he was actually sad and found himself missing the boy from time to time. But that had been years ago... Surely those sort of feelings had faded... At least he hoped so. Either way he had to know for sure.

Brian took in Will's appearance as subtly as possible. Something he prided himself on. He could usually mask whatever he was thinking rather well, especially with males. It was the times that he felt cornered and nervous that he would actually begin to ramble. Now was not one of those times. In fact he had rarely had 'one of those times' in front of Will. He always managed to carry himself with calm and grandour. What the hell did that mean? Was it a good or bad thing? Was he ever really the real Brian Epstein around him? Hell.. Who was the real Brian? He wasn't sure he knew anymore.

"My, my, my." He shook his head, the smile still on his face. Not creepy in the slightest. Actually it was far more appreciative. "You've grown up." He declared aloud, almost admirably. "Me? I've just gotten older." He forced a laugh with yet another shake of the head as he gestured to himself. It had been in hopes to get Will to crack a smile something that he seemed hell bent on not doing Brian had noted. Not that he blamed him. Ah well, he'd still give a go of it. It was like a game!

"You pay him?" Brian feigned surprise. "You didn't give me a cent for all the schmoozing I did." A joke of course. He was teasing again. Ill timed? Perhaps. But he couldn't help himself. What did Will expect him to do? Fall onto his knees and beg? He wasn't about to do that. He didn't have to do that. He was never going to do that! He had done nothing, in his mind, wrong. But he was speaking! This was a step in the right direction!

"Yes, well, they do alright for themselves and by me." Brian shrugged as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "But there's still more to be done. You know." Yes, that was Brian. The workaholic. Work was the only stable relationship that he ever had. "You've heard their work I trust?" Deep down he knew it was unlikely. In the two months he had spent with William he had never heard the young man listen to anything hip, let alone make a point of it. He was far more into reading, his whole acting thing. That was his passion. That... And other places that Brian couldn't exactly complain about.

"Me? I... Me.. Well I..." At his question Brian actually felt cornered for a split second. He hadn't expected that one! Shoving his hands into his coat pockets again he once more found his ground. "No. I've caught a few here and there." This was a very vague answer that filled in for a very detailed explanation. He had seen many of Will's shows. At first solely by accident. He hadn't expected to see him on the stage for such a big company. But he was good! In the small role he was damn good. And Brian kept coming back, both for the theatre and the 'sights', and Will kept getting better. This had just been another performance he had witnissed on a long chain. Though this was the first one that he had actually dared to speak to the man.

"Purely coincidence." Yes, good cover ole Brian.

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

The sometimes dreaded 'L' word had never entered into Will and Brian's relationship all of those years ago. But Will had no doubt that if he had been given enough time he would have uttered those three words to Brian eventually. Yes, he had been young and naive back then and most people would have told him that he had no idea about what falling in love was supposed to be like but Brian had been everything that Will had thought he had wanted in a man: handsome, intelligence, good sense of humor, and on the way to a successful career. But the older man had broken things off before Will had had the chance to sort out what feelings he did have towards him.

And smile Will most definitely did not, even though he knew there was probably no harm in doing so because that's what friends did; they joked with each other and tried to put smiles on each other's faces. However, he and Brian weren't friends yet. Will hoped that they would become friends in the future but he knew it was going to be a bumpy road. While he was trying his hardest to forget about the past it was almost impossible to do so when running into Brian like this was the last thing he expected to happen tonight. How could all of those bitter memories not come flooding back to him?

"I'm a different man," he agreed, "And hopefully a better one." Better as in he hoped that he was better at recognizing when someone was just trying to use him, like Brian had done in the past. Better as in the hope that he could come to terms with who he was and let his family and friends know, like Brian had already done. The smallest hint of a smile did finally pass across Will's face as Brian seemed to complain about growing old. "Don't be so hard on yourself. The aging process has been quite good to you so far." There. That was the only compliment Brian was going to be getting out of Will tonight. And it was the truth. He didn't look all that bad for almost a decade's worth of growing older.

The actor didn't know if he should laugh out loud or be annoyed by Brian's next comment. "I didn't realize that caring about someone came with a monetary price," he said, slightly under his breath just in case anyone came walking by unexpectedly. He had opted to go with the latter emotion with that statement. Even if it was a simple joke, it was keeping the painful memories at the front and the pleasurable ones at bay, quite the opposite of what Will wished for.

Will could relate to Brian's workalcoholism. He was the same way. The only thing he was sure about each morning that he woke up was that he had a job to do--a job that he loved to give one hundred and ten percent to every day to forget about life's other worries that were hounding him. "Maybe?" he answered, with a hint of inquiry at the end of the word. How was Will supposed to know? Even when he did have the radio on in his car, he often found his mind drifting off to this or that little speech that he just practiced memorizing. He always seemed to miss the DJ announcing the artists of the various songs.

Well, it was kind of obvious that Brian wasn't telling the whole truth there. Eight years ago, Will wouldn't have caught it; eight years ago, Will would have been content with anything that Brian had said. But that was all eight years ago. He hadn't been lying when he told Brian that he was a different man. "I know you're lying to me," he said, airing his suspicion, "I know that--" Will stopped himself from making any further accusations as one of the stagehands walked by. "I know that we shouldn't be having this conversation out here." That wasn't what he had been planing on saying originally but it sure was a smart idea not to be talking about their past in such a public place.

"Please, let me take you on a tour of my dressing room." That was as legitimate of an excuse to get somewhere quiet as any other would have been. He began walking the right way, only momentarily glancing behind his shoulder to make sure that Brian was following him. The last thing he wanted was for the other man to chicken out. If they wanted even the remotest possibility of becoming friends, things needed to be said sooner rather than later.

It was a short walk to the room that Will liked to consider his home away from home. He opened up the door and motioned for Brian to enter in before him. The place wasn't anything fancy...A couch with a coffee table in front of it, a couple of chairs across from the couch, a closet, a full-length mirror on the wall, and a little area for any light makeup that might need to be applied. Will right now pointed towards the couch. "Take a seat, Brian."

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

"That you are." Brian had to agree. It was quite apparent that Will was a different man physically, aging tended to do that to anyone, himself not exempt. However he wasn't about to doubt that he hadn't changed internally as well. Time could also do that to a man. At one point it had certainly done so with Brian. Yes, time had weathered him to withstand a great amount of ills. Was it for the better? In some cases. "Though you have always been the better man out of the two of us." At least morals wise... And Brian cursed himself for even thinking such a thing. Why did he have to be so bitter and resentful for no reason? It wasn't even directed at Will (and why would it?). It was more so at life in general.

"Ah. Process indeed." He chuckled, pulling at the ends of his suit coat as he mussed over his appearance. Brian was not a vain man however he did realize the importance of outward appearance, though sometimes skimped on the inward part. In his social scene and business some things of that nature were just glaringly obvious. "Hardly a gentle one. I look like a wanker." And yes, he too was not exempt from being a potty mouth. And he could afford to be. Nowadays he could buy or talk his way out of any trouble.. Not that he'd be in any. If William didn't have him in a chokehold (the less desirable kind) by this point he was certainly in the clear.

William's next comment had Epstein frowning. "Everything has a price Will. I'm sorry if that was somewhat disheartening to learn." And a part of him truly was sorry though he soon caught his error and found himself apologizing on behalf of it. "My apologies. William. William. Or do you prefer Mister Edelman now? Perhaps sir?" While he tried to play it off as cool a part of him was worried of the outcome of this question. Surely he wouldn't be demoted to any of these? There was a time when he could get away with calling him Willy, Marty (at times), Edels, and even Pumpkin (something he'd rarely admit), surely he wouldn't be expected to call him something along the lines of Sir?!

His eyes followed Will's careful ones. He saw the people but honestly Brian didn't care. It only took a moment for the realization to click. Will. Dear Willy was still in the closet. Why had he foolishly expected anything different? Even with this discovery he didn't let any other emotion other than a glint of amusement show in his eyes. "As you please Mister Edelman." The tone oozed off of his tongue.

He followed Will willingly into his dressing room where he immediately plopped down on the couch and lazily, yet properly, crossed his legs. "Nice set up you've got here." Folding his hands atop his knee he kicked his foot slightly. A nervous and impatient tick. One reminiscent of the always antsy and ready to move Paul McCartney who he was mentoring along with the four others. He lifted his head and glanced about the room. "The parentals must be rather pleased." Yep, beating around the bush would work just fine in this instance.

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

Those were the last words Will was expecting to hear out of Brian's mouth. But as an actor he always had to be prepared for the unexpected so he was able to successfully keep his composure. "I told you to stop being hard on yourself. You're decent enough when you want to be." Okay, so that was bordering on crossing the line of a compliment becoming a minor insult but what was Will supposed to say? 'Brian, you are one of the best men currently in existence?' He had been used by Brian and nothing was going to change that fact. Things could never be like what they were before.

The manager seemed to be content to keep on ignoring the actor's advice not to be hard on himself. Will had time to only briefly wonder if Brian was trying to fish for compliments. Why? To stoke his ego or simply because he wanted to hear Will saying things he might have heard from others? Regardless of the reason, Will would rather compliment his former lover than agree wholeheartedly with statements that Will didn't believe were true. Will took a furtive glance around to make sure that no one else was within hearing distance. "You look wonderful, Brian. I don't care what you say."

Will's eyes moved to the ground as Brian spoke a truth that he didn't want to admit to himself. In Will's perfect world, two people could care and love each other without having to worry about what it was going to cost them. Unfortunately, in this world things were far from perfect. But Will didn't have to ponder that subject because Brian went on with an apology for calling Will by his more informal nickname. Will looked back up at his ex-boyfriend, a small chuckle escaping from his lips. Brian had just uttered some of the most disheartening words one could hear and now he was apologizing for something as silly as calling William 'Will!' "William makes me sound like some nobleman. Mr. Edelman makes me sound like an old man. And sir is just preposterous because it seems to me like it's only going to be a matter of time before you're more famous than me. Will's fine."

The actor wanted to chastise himself for making it so obvious that he still hadn't let anyone in on his little secret but there was no time to do that. At least he could be grateful that Brian was just fine with playing along with Will for now. And once they were both stowed safely away in his dressing room, Will closed the door behind them and took the extra measure of locking it as well. Usually people knocked before entering...but, for all he knew, today would have been the first day that the thought of knocking skipped someone's mind.

Will took a seat on one of the chairs across from the couch. He let out an almost inaudible sigh at Brian's obvious attempt to forestall the inevitable conversation Will had dragged them into here to have. "You didn't care what my parents thought about my dreams back then, and I know you don't care what they think about the fact that I was able to make them come true." Hopefully that would be enough to put an end to any further attempt on Brian's part to keep the conversation on another line.

He settled back into the chair, having a little bit of difficulty himself as to where he should even begin. Finally, he said, "You've seen me however many number of times on stage, and you waited until tonight to talk to me. I can understand that. We didn't have one of the most peaceful breakups in the world. But what I don't understand is why you're here talking to me right now. It can't be only to tease me about moving on with my life but that's all you've been doing so far." Will was more than ready to watch Brian closely because he expected only half-truths to be coming out of his mouth.

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

Brian watched out of the corner of his eye as William sat in one of the chairs across from him. He had been looking up at the ceiling to veil that he was keeping tabs on the man a secret. Lot of good that did because soon Brian found himself noting that Will had chosen not to sit next to him.. But really what had he expected? And sitting across from him was a giant step when compared to what he had been giving out the past decade: Nada. Inwardly Brian felt a warmth of excitement. Did he have feelings for William now? No, probably not. But did he hate being alone? Yes, as much as he tried to hide it, he did. Perhaps if Will would sit across from him there were loads of other things he would eventually do.

"No. You have me mistaken." Brian countered calmly as he shifted where he sat on the couch, still maintaining a rather professional posture that he rarely seemed to lose. "I merely stated, on several or so occasions, that you put far too much weight on what your parents said you could or couldn't do. Why even try or like anything if you're just going to let older people dictate what you can or are able to do?... Other than myself of course." He added with a teasing wink pulling in his bottom lip with his teeth briefly. His smile faded some and he gave a little shrug. "And you're right. I don't care that you made your dreams come true. I always knew that you could do it so why should I act surprised?" Yet another shrug as if the very topic of conversation was beneath him and, in feeling a sudden bout of antsiness he was on his feet again.

"I had some time on my hands. What of it? Does it really matter all that much to you why? Why must you always need more... You always want to know more." Brian emphasized with a bit of a heavy sigh. "Sometimes Willy... Will... People just don't have more to give you. Why must it always be such an issue? Hm?" He had taken to walking the room, taking in his surroundings, as Will berrated him with questions and accusations. And really the young man had every right to. If anything he was being rather tame. And so, as Brian usually did, he took it in stride, well as best he could.

"I'm here now. Does it really matter the mundane reason why? What if I just decided to say hi? It could be as simple as that." He stopped his walking and allowed his eyes to fall upon Will. Yep, Brian happened to be a very good actor, especially when he wanted to avoid explaining himself. ESPECIALLY when he thought the eventual result might be a romp in the sheets. He could play William like a piano. Poor guy was just that gullable. And the awful thing was, deep down, Brian did care for the poor man.

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

While Will had absolutely no problem with speaking his mind, even if he knew whomever he was talking to wouldn't want to hear what he had to say, Brian should be counting his lucky stars that the actor wasn't a fan of turning words into violence. He might yell but that was about as heated as any argument with Will would ever get. Throwing a punch or two might feel good but what did it really solve in the end that simple words couldn't solve just as well?

So the wink that might have prompted a more violent person to sucker punch Brian in the face only flustered Will just the tiniest bit. It was almost funny how Brian ended his little chastisement with a compliment. If Will wasn't slightly angry, he might have actually laughed at it. "Weren't you ever taught to respect your elders?" That was all he said on that because he didn't want this conversation to turn into something so asinine. Will brought Brian into his dressing to talk about how much control his parents had had over his first twenty years of life.

Will's eyes followed Brian as he ambled about the room. He listened to Brian's whole explanation with growing incredulity. There was a time when Will might have believed all of that explanation but that time was long gone. Once he was sure that his former lover was done talking, Will chuckled--a 'You seriously expect me to believe that?' chuckle. He remained seated, if only for the sake of staying as far away from Brian as he possibly could be. His eyes, however, remained on him as he tried to form some coherent thoughts in his head. He was still trying his hardest to think before speaking or things could turn ugly very quickly.

"You just wanted to say hi?" he repeated. "After eight years of hearing absolutely nothing from you, you finally decided to come backstage just to say hi to me?" Will would be the first to admit to the fact that he had fallen for so many of Brian's lies back then because they had been so craftily spoken by the manager but this one was too crazy to believe. "You expect me to believe something as insane as that?"

And now came the perfect time to address the issue of how he always wanted something a little bit more from others. Will finally did stand up and approached Brian, stopping a couple of feet in front of him. "All I want from you is the truth," he said, now taking a much softer tone with his ex, "Why did you really come backstage tonight?" If Will felt that Brian was lying to him again, he was more than prepared to kick him out of his dressing room with the admonish that he should never contact him again in any way whatsoever. He wanted to move on with his life--he had started to move on with his life--but that would be impossible to do if he had an ex hovering around him who liked to still feed him lie after life.

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

"I was taught plenty. I managed to forget a good eighty percent of it fortunately." Epstein somehow managed to pull off this air that he felt no fear or nervousness with being in the presence of William. This would be only partially true. Was he scared of the young man? No. Not a chance. He fully realized that he had the 'upper hand' so to speak and in some ways this whole charming, somewhat douchebaggy exterior had been what had attracted mild mannered, polite, soft spoken William to him in the first place. It was almost like playing a role. A kind of role that he couldn't have gotten away with in the presence of many others (to this degree). William wasn't the only talented actor in the room. He was just the only one who managed to make a paycheck out of it... At least in Brian's line of thinking.

Will's chuckle caught Brian off guard and he froze. "Yes. Yes I do." So he wasn't buying it. Not only had they both gotten older, though arguably William aged far better than he had, but now William had also gotten wiser. Brains AND looks? No, this certainly would not do. He'd have to stiffle that AND fast. The game just got more interesting... And now it felt a bit more like work. Ah well, a change of scene would be fun for Brian. The chase was half the entertainment.

"Well, what the hell do you expect me to say Will?" He turned the tables on him, his eyes unwaivering, and his voice direct. "That I spent eight years pining for you and was hoping you felt the same?" Ok, perhaps that had been to straight forward. "Because you know I don't play that." He added flatly. And it was true. Brian didn't have time to mourn much of anything, let alone people. It just wasn't the kind of life he led. Be that as it may, things were going to get interesting especially if he had anything to do with it.

"Then what do you think Will?" And with that he raised the stakes, walking straight up to the young actor and knelt right before him. Both of his hands rested on either of the young man's legs. A bold action to be sure but that was Brian: ESPECIALLY one on one with a male lover- Past, present, or future. "What do you think I came here for?" His voice soft, a half little smile on his lips. Yes, like a violin he'd play him. And if that didn't work he'd find another way. He knew that the past was not so easily forgotten and that meant ALL of the past. Surely Will remembered other, far more desirable, things.

He was banking on it.

"Hm?..." His hands now found the tops of Will's and he dared to run his thumbs over them. Yes... It just got interesting.

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

It appeared to Will that Brian hadn't changed in the least bit. He still expected Will to fall for every little trick in his book. And that made Will all the more determined not to do so. Brian making a fool of him once was quite enough for his taste. The last thing he wanted to realize that all of these changes in himself over the past eight years could be swept under the rug by one man. He couldn't let Brian do that to him. He couldn't let anyone do that to him. He was making something of his life these years. The last thing he wanted was to revert back to the naive twenty-year-old he had been, who could be so easily swayed by sweet words and fake promises.

That was a rhetorical question, right? Because the last thing Will wanted to hear was that anyone was pining over him. Yes, he had been upset after the breakup with Brian. Yes, to a certain degree, he had found himself pining over the older man when he was long gone from his life. But then Will had landed a job with the Royal Shakespeare Company and then Will had decided that mourning over some lost love was foolish. Maybe there were more important things in life than finding Mr. Right right now. God knew that even if he did find that man they could never publicly date and keeping a relationship from the general public would cause all sorts of stress that Will didn't want to ever have to deal with.

Will didn't know what to expect from Brian but he definitely was thrown for a loop when the manager got down on his knees in front of him and placed his hands on his legs. If Will hadn't been so surprised, he might have laughed because Brian on his knees was a sight he hadn't seen all that often when they were together. Will's mind told him to back the hell up as soon as he felt Brian's thumbs on his hands. But his feet kept him rooted firmly to the spot. Well, he couldn't just stand here not saying anything, now could he?

"Sex?" he said, more of a question that a statement, and Will didn't bother to hide the confusion in his voice with that one word. "You came here because you thought I'd drop my pants for you just for old time's sake." There was no other explanation. "Now, I'm not adverse to a one-night stand every now and then but having one with an ex is beyond stupid and wrong." Will finally did take a step back from Brian, his brain grateful for the compliance with its wishes but the rest of his body not so much. "But thanks for being honest," he added. Hearing the truth wasn't always a good thing but at least now he had a good idea of where he stood with Brian...or at least he thought he did.

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

Yep. Definitely wiser. Will's response confirmed it. But Brian managed not to flinch in the slightest even when he hit the nail right on the head: For lack of a better term. To the contrary instead his hands remained right atop the man's for another few seconds, his eyes appearing gentle as they locked on Will's face. If you didn't back down or waiver eventually someone would believe your view because you believed it. Brian had been reminded of this point more than enough times that he knew, in the end, it would come through if he sold it hard enough.

"If that was the case why wouldn't I have done it sooner then, hm?" He asked calmly in a soft voice. His brow gave the slightest of questioning raises. Perhaps that would be enough for William to doubt himself even if he was a hundred percent correct. And so what if he was right about Brian just being back for a roll in the hay? It was only partially true. Brian loved control, he loved knowing he was good enough to still attract a young man of William's calliber. And of course, he had to know this today. Now. As his actions would soon prove.

"Do you really think so little of me?" His thumbs once again ran over William's hands coaxingly. A hint of a smile on his lips when he then noted: "Or perhaps so much." The words became caught in his throat and he found himself lifting himself from his knees, straightening as he managed to close even more distance between their two bodies.

"You mean to tell me you don't want that?" Now eye level with his ex he dared to crane his neck further toward him until their faces were side by side to the point that he could smell him. Yep, still familiar. "You're all about this honesty thing Willy, but you're lying right now. I can tell." He shifted his head causing his nose and hot breath to graze the man's neck. "If you want me to walk out that door right now tell me and I will. Truly." Yes, he was really putting all of his cards out on the table now. "Or do something that shows me that you want me to stay for just a little longer." Now that was certainly a different direction... Brian giving WILL the power.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

This wasn't fair...Why did this have to happen tonight? Why did it have to happen ever? This wasn't how Will had envisioned their first meeting since the breakup happening. They might reminiscence about the good things that had happened a little bit and then Will would bring up the fact that they could at least be friends with each other these days because he had forgiven Brian for the breakup as much as he possibly could. But none of that was happening. Brian was on his knees, trying to sweet talk his way back into Will's pants.

Time to not focus on Brian's position but, rather, focus on his question. Will could answer questions. Will was good at that. "Because enough time had to pass for you to feel reasonably confident that I'd gotten over the breakup and would be willing to consent to something like this." Will's mind was in rationality overdrive, like somehow thinking everything through rationally would help avoid what easily could turn into a huge disaster. It was ludicrous really. Will didn't believe that all of the thinking in the world was going to save him from doing something stupid tonight.

Will stood his ground as Brian moved closer to him. It would do no good to keep backing up and run into the wall. Brian know he was all flustered then. Heck, the manager probably already knew that anyways. "I know you, Brian," he said, keeping his voice as firm as possible, "You don't do commitments. Sex is just sex to you. You need a quick fix right now and, lo and behold!, look who just happened to run into tonight." He couldn't be thinking less highly of Brian than he was currently. He would have started to think even less of the manager if he had known that Brian's ego was always playing a role in all of this.

It was becoming harder and harder to remain rational as Brian got just about as close as he could get to Will. The actor actually had to remind himself to breathe. But...what was this? Reverse psychology? Kick him out the door...Kick him out the door... Will's mind kept on repeating to himself. He's right...You're lying to yourself...How long is it since you've seen any kind of action with another man? Almost half a year? Maybe more? the rest of Will's body was saying to him.

This...was...not...fair. But...hold on...Will was a mature adult now. Surely a mature adult could handle having a one-night stand with an ex? And, if they did it, that didn't mean they still couldn't form some kind of friendship in the future, right? Nothing was being solved just standing here. Will needed to make his decision ASAP. He looked into Brian's eyes and rested his hands lightly on the manager's hips. "Stay, Brian," he said, quietly, "I want you to stay." He wasn't going to make the real first move because Will had never liked being in control in situations like this; he had been liked that even before he met Brian.

[BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]

OOC: I will PM you a link to the protected board if you decide at this point the thread goes in the 'you know' direction. Once wrapped we can move it back here and finish it. Either or is fine! Feel free to also tell Brian to 'F off'.))

Though Brian was playing out the air of cool and calm, deep down he was surprised to find that he was actually nervous. He was even shocked to find that he was actually worried about what the outcome might be. William had every right to tell him off. To tell him to go away. Or to outright ignore him. Brian wasn't sure which option would be the worst. He just knew what had hurt in the past. He had started to like Pete Best, the former drummer of the Beatles before they were, well, the Beatles, but upon telling the man he had shrugged it off. That had hurt the absolute most mainly because Brian had put his feelings on the line. Hell, he was still reeling from it. And yes, the thought did enter his mind that he was doing the exact same to Will, perhaps worse by adding the physical act into it, but right now he couldn't bother himself to care. He just wanted to forget.

"And have you?" Brian questioned, continuing to nuzzle Will's neck with a barely there sort of touch. "Gotten over it I mean? That horrid breakup..." Brian couldn't help but poke fun and be patronizing, even now. Of course Will knew what he was talking about. Though Epstein hardly considered it a breakup on his part. He was never exclusive. He just got bored and split. Why couldn't Will understand that? His hands squeezed Will's as he continued to tease the flesh on his neck, not kissing but rather just breathing on it. Yes, upperhand indeed. He would have it if he didn't already.

Oh, so he thought he knew him did he? "Do you?" Instantly Brian's mind flashed back to Lennon yelling at him that he was a 'predictable, boring asshole'. Then he could distinctly recall his childhood where he was mocked for such behavior. He stiffled a growl within himself to keep from lashing out and instead chose to focus on the task at hand: William. And he was a hundred percent right in his assumptions. "If you know me so well then why were you surprised to see me? And if you know what I'm here for why don't you ask me to leave?" He had him there, and he loved knowing that. He relished it.

Now he made his way to the young actor's ear his breath tickling the flesh there as he lingered. Though he wanted to practically attack him he would wait it out. He wanted the firm ground here. He wanted to be the one who drove the man over the edge. "Go on. Tell me to leave. If you wish it I'll do it." He told William in a soft voice that tried so hard to be pouty. He wasn't nearly as talented at it as Ringo (who genuinely was a pouty person) but he made do.

Moving to his feet he guided William there as well. It was so easy to navigate him, as it always had been, and Brian actually enjoyed this little bit of normalcy. Now standing in front of him Brian only moved his face back to look at William when he felt the touch on his hips. And there we had it. Brian already knew the answer but it became all the more real when William actually uttered the words. Not a victory... Yet. But it soon would be.

"Prove it to me."

[WILLIAM MARTIN EDELMAN]

Did a person ever really get over a breakup? Two months may not seem like all that long for all of the heterosexual couples out there. But two months for a relationship that had to be kept a secret? That was a long time. Eight years...Eighty years...It didn't matter. It was going to be hard to completely get over it, no matter how hard Will tried to move on. Was Will going to mention any of that to Brian? No. Prudence was the best course to take in a situation like this. "As much as I'll ever get over it," he vaguely answered.

Well, that certainly did but Will into a quandary. He should have known that Brian would show up out of the blue one night hoping for a little romp. Will couldn't deny that the two of them had been rather excellent together when it came to the physical behind-the-scenes part of their relationship. And the second question was a legitimate one that Will didn't have an answer to. Was it his hormones that were refusing him to tell Brian off or was it some deeper psychological issue? Did Will just have some crazy notion that Brian might have changed too and gotten over his fear of commitment? Whichever it was, Will didn't know and, not knowing, he didn't dare give Brian an answer.

The actor could feel his body already starting to respond to Brian's teasing. One word...That's all it would take to end this mess...Of course, that one word would create a world of new problems for Will. If Brian did leave, what would happen? Will knew that 'leave' wasn't going to make Brian disappear from his life entirely. The manager wasn't going to give up just because Will told him to leave this one time. Will knew that. So, why not get this thing over with sooner rather than later?

But, when Brian didn't take control right away, that gave Will even more time to think about what he was doing. Could he seriously do this tonight and not feel any regret whatsoever in the morning? The short answer: no. Would he regret passing up on this opportunity tomorrow morning? The short answer: yes. Would the regret be long-term if he did it tonight? The short answer: yes. Would the regret be long-term if he didn't do it? The short answer: no. There were plenty of men out there who weren't his ex's that Will knew he could turn to for his needs.

It was settled then. Keeping his eyes focused on Brian and his hands where they were, Will said, just as softly as before, "Leave." He could feel his body protest at that one word but his mind gave a great big mental sigh. Will backed up from his former love. He didn't think he owed Brian an explanation but he was going to give him one. "You have it in you to keep tonight at just sex for the sake of having it. I can do that with others but I can never do it with you. I've been through too much with you. There's no such thing as 'just sex' with you anymore." He turned his back on Brian, a tiny part of him hoping that maybe Brian would ignore Will's big mouth because if Brian did touch him again Will didn't think he had it in him to resist him a second time.

(ooc: Figured I'd add some extra drama since Will is so confuzzled right now...Feel free to have Brian leave or continue the sweet talking!)