You Call It Madness - Chapter 3

Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between the characters in this story and real people (appearances, names, etc.) are purely coincidental. This story may contain homosexual material, including love and sex, so if material like this is illegal in your region or if it discomforts you, please leave.

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You Call It Madness

Chapter III

A blaring beeping woke Will. Sleepily, he nuzzled the side of his face into his arm. His arm? Last he remembered, he was big-spooning Nick because the brunette bitch was adamant about it.

When Will felt Nick shift, as the two had moved some time during the night and Will was now the little spoon, Nick turned off the alarm on his phone.

"Mm, time's it?" Will asked.

"Seven," Nick answered just as groggily. "Sorry, forgot I had the alarm on repeat."

"S'okay," Will replied, turning around to face his new boyfriend. "Wanna go back to sleep?"

"Mm-mm," Nick softly shook his head no. "You can. I'll just hold you."

"Mm," Will said, nuzzling his face into Nick's chest again. "What do you have planned today?"

"I'm meeting Katy Perry for a photoshoot at one o'clock. She has another EP coming out in a month. And then Eminem is scheduled to call me at three to discuss plans and visions for his new album's cover. I was planning to spend this morning just finishing digital art for Imagine Dragons."

"Mm. If you get me all their autographs on one of my t-shirts I'll let you do whatever you want to me all week."

Nick laughed quietly before replying, "You don't have to do anything. I'll get you them autographs, you dork."

Will laughed as well, and said, "I was joking. I've never been interested in collecting signed shit."

For over an hour and a half, Will and Nick laid cuddled up talking, getting to know each other. Will laid his head on Nick's warm, firm chest and ghosted his fingertips through the line of brown hair traveling down from Nick's navel. Nick had his arm around Will's shoulders, drawing random lines on Will's arm with his finger.

And then, hearing Will's stomach rumble, Nick ushered the blonde out of bed and into the kitchen. Cooking, too, they did together. Will chopped green peppers, onion, and ham. Nick grated a small brick of marble cheese, cracked four eggs into a bowl, and put three slices of bread into the toaster. They listened to music as they did so, some parts of their nude bodies swaying to the beats.

While eating, Will told Nick, "If you want, you can just hang out here. I mean you have your laptop and drawing tablet in your bag. You can save yourself a half hour drive home."

Nick smiled appreciatively and replied, "Thanks, handsome. I can drive you to the restaurant."

Will shook his head, "Nah, don't worry about it. I'll take a cab. Just relax. I'll go to Enterprise to rent a car before my meeting with Casey. You'll be here before I am, so just keep my key."

"Good morning," the hostess greeted Will. "Welcome to Blu Jam Cafe."

Will smiled at the young woman, "Morning. I'm meeting Erin Brickham here at ten o'clock."

"Okay," she replied brightly. "Ms. Brickham has already arrived. Right this way, sir."

The hostess, now holding a menu in her hand, led Will through the restaurant. She stopped at a table that had a redheaded woman who looked to be in her early thirties.

"Will?" the woman asked with a warm smile as she stood from her seat. "Hi. Wonderful to meet you."

"It's a pleasure, Ms. Brickham," Will responded with his own smile.

"Just Erin. Hope you don't mind that I ordered you an orange juice."

"Oh, thanks. Yeah, OJ is good."

As Will sipped his glass, Erin asked, "So you're Canadian?"

"Yeah," Will answered, "I live in Victoria, British Columbia."

"What do you do there?"

"I work in construction," Will replied, switching his cell phone ringer switch to vibration. "I'm also taking online courses for Child and Youth Care."

"Oh, that's great. You're planning to work in the social services sector?"

"Mm-hmm," Will nodded his head. "I grew up in foster care so I wanna help any children in the system in any way that I can."

Smiling in awe, Erin responded, "Aww, that's so sweet of you. In our phone call, you said you'll be twenty in a few weeks, right?"

Will nodded his head again and answered, "April ninth."

"I'm sure Ms. Jacobs will ask this at some point in your career," Erin began. "Have you thought about moving elsewhere to better your chances of getting acting roles?"

"Oh," Will said with slight surprise. "I never thought about that. Would you recommend that I move here to LA?"

"No," Erin shook her head. "LA won't be necessary. Ultimately it's your decision, Will."

"Hello again," a young man, the server said when he stood by the table. "Are you two ready to order?"

"Yes," Erin replied. "Can I please have the burgundy omelette with rye toast?"

Will smiled at the young man and asked, "Can I have the fruit bowl?"

When the server retreated with their order, Erin asked, "So? Relocation? If you want to remain on Canadian soil, I'd recommend Vancouver. It's really close to Victoria, and it has a lot of filming opportunities that are internationally aimed. Toronto is really the only other option. It has equally as many filming opportunities, but those are mostly Canadian-aimed. Another option is New York. And, of course, The City of Angels."

"I'll think about it," Will told the redhead. "I'm not saying I'm interested in moving to the states, I love Victoria, but what would I require to move to either New York or LA?"

"Well, first, I'm guessing Immigration let you into the country based on a short-term work VISA?"

"Yeah, I wrote on my customs form that I'd be in LA for ten days for work. Immigration called ABC and the studio faxed over my acting contract for verification."

"Great. Nice and easy? How did you manage to secure an acting gig? I mean most studios wouldn't consider hiring internationals unless they have green cards or some other form of citizenship."

"I've worked with studios before. I am- or used to be Allison Kellard's assistant when she's working on projects. A bigwig producer saw me running lines with Ally, so he got me a contract to play the role of a waiter in the film. Todd Manon."

"Oh, no shit!" Erin said, impressed. "He just finished producing a Britian-based film, right? Did your role have any lines?"

"Yes it did. I was only needed for, like, twenty minutes."

"Well for a beginner, that's really, really amazing! Most start out as extras for a couple of years, and then graduate to measly non-speaking roles. You also mentioned that you have a gig that you start filming tomorrow, right? Do you have the contract for that and the one for the British film?"

Will grabbed his messenger-style bag and took out the two contracts, and told Erin, "Yeah, Casey's assistant was totally unimpressed that I didn't have a lawyer read them before I signed."

Erin smiled and replied, "No offence but that was stupid."

"I agree," Will responded with a small laugh.

While reading the first contract, Erin said, "So to stay for an extended period of time, meaning ninety days or more, you would have to meet with an agent from Citizenship and Immigration with an immigration attorney who will have put together a file that explains that you are, and I quote, 'an alien with extraordinary skills'. You and your lawyer would have to convince the CIS agent that you are an amazing actor. Or construction, if you want. Or both. If Todd Manon scored you a couple of roles already, you must be an extraordinary alien. If you're approved, you'd have to obtain employment within thirty days, either acting in projects that require your skills for fifteen or more days out of each month, or in construction."

"This is great info for the future. Thank you."

"Of course, Hun," Erin said, her green eyes ever trained on the papers.

Will took his phone out of his back pocket as Erin continued to read over the two contracts. He replied to text messages from his friends, and smiled brightly at a picture that Nick had sent. It was a selfie, Nick was lying on his stomach on the suite bed nude with his laptop and drawing device splayed out in front of him.

'Wish you were to cuddle me while I work.' Nick had captioned the photo.

"Oh," Will said as the server set a bowl in front of him. "Thank you."

Still reading the contracts, Erin asked, "Has United Talent billed you for any expenses they incurred on your behalf?"

"No," Will shook his head. "They haven't incurred any expenses for me. To get here I paid for my own flights, accommodations, transportation, and food. I plan to pay for all of that for each of my future projects. I don't like being in debt to anybody."

"That's smart," Erin commented as she set the papers down. "These agreements for your two roles look straightforward. No trouble. These two roles were given to you by Todd Manon so, as I guessed, no loopholes, no exclusivity clause, no reimbursement or booking fee, and very reasonable payments for the roles. The Britain-based film contract stipulates that you would be paid sixteen hundred US dollars. Have you received that payment yet?"

"Mm-hmm," Will nodded his head as he swallowed a bite of cantaloupe. "Just last week."

"Great! Now the role in Grey's is paying you thirty-four hundred. Why is that?"

"It's a larger role," Will replied. "My role has emotion, a lot of emotion, and a lot more lines than the Britain one."

"Mm," Erin nodded and chewed on a piece of the omelette. "Now let's see your booking agent agreement."

Will once again grabbed a small stack of stapled papers from his bag and handed it over to the lawyer.

"Do you have a significant other in Victoria?" Erin asked, her eyes now glued to the new contract. "I'm just curious about what's got you strapped down in BC."

"N-no," Will answered with a small laugh. "I just started dating someone here."

"That was quick," Erin said, wearing a kind smile.

"Well I met Nicky on the set of 'With Arms Outstretched'," Will replied. "It was just a hookup, we didn't keep in touch. But we found each other again last night. We agreed to date long distance."

Erin looked up from the contract and smiled as she stated, "That's so sweet. What is she? Actor? Crew?"

"He is Tony Manon's son."

Shocked, Erin asked, "You're dating Nikolai Percival Manon? Hey, you're gay?"

Will laughed as he swallowed a piece of strawberry. "Yes, and yes. Though he and I haven't gotten to the middle name part of our newborn relationship. Now I have something to lord over him. Percival. What were his parents thinking? Well, I think it just makes him cuter, to be honest."

"Mm. He is cute. What's the J for in your name? Julian? Johnathan?"

"Okay, it's worse than Percival. It's- it's Josiah."

Grinning toothily, Erin asked, "Josiah? Really? You poor boy. So, any questions about this contract?"

"Yeah, a couple. What if I'm offered roles that Casey Jacobs or UTA didn't book for me?"

"As long as no other agent or agency booked the gig, you're okay. The roles would have to be offered by directors, producers, or studios. If another actor tells you about an upcoming open role, I strongly suggest that you contact Ms. Jacobs to try securing it."

"Got it," Will nodded his head. "Now, like I said, I plan to pay for my own expenses when working. But to pay for the agent fees, I can pay these fees via electronic funds transfers?"

"UTA accepts electronic payments. In the electronic transfers, be sure to include the invoice numbers. That's vital. UTA's financial department is great, and they'll definitely know who the payments are from, but you can never be too careful. After making the payments, email Ms. Jacobs to notify her of the payment, and include the bank reference numbers."

"Sounds good. No other questions."

"Okay," Erin responded, cutting a piece of the omelette. "One question I had regards the expenses to work. Do you make enough money to pay for these?"

"I think so," Will shrugged. "When I'm not working at Kinetic, I work as Allison Kellard's assistant when she's filming. Between those two I make about ninety grand a year."

"Oh, damn," Erin said with a soft laugh. "That's almost as much as I make. That's great for you. Well if you ever find that you can't afford to pay the expenses to take certain roles, UTA will have no problem paying these and invoicing you. Now before I proceed, will we be making our business relationship official?"

"Yes," Will answered, putting his fork down on the table. "Do you have a contract for me?"

"No. Entertainment attorneys generally do not ask for exclusivity with clients. And especially not with beginners. For each contract that I proof or negotiate, I'll be charging you nineteen percent of gross earnings."

"Okay. Does that include these two contracts that you just read?"

"No," Erin shook her head. "They were just consultations. They'd already been signed by all parties so there was pretty much nothing I could do. We're meeting Ms. Jacobs at one o'clock? Not to get you excited or even be certain, but if she wants me there, too, then she probably has a role for you to consider."

"Excellent!" Casey said brightly after Will signed the contract. "Rick, can you get this notarized and filed right away? Now, Will, your hair appointment is set for three o'clock and mani-pedis at four. So while we wait I have three scripts for your to read. I've already spoken with Warner Brothers about the role in 'Supernatural', so the role is yours if you agree to the earnings."

"That's-" Will grinned and laughed softly. "That's awesome!"

Casey, finally, since Will's met her, offered a smile and replied, "Happy to help."

Will read the Supernatural script while Erin read the unofficial contract that had giant bold grey 'COPY' written all over its pages.

Will smiled excitedly at Casey and told her, "I'll definitely be taking this role."

Erin told Will, "The agreement looks good. Warner Brothers is offering to pay thirty-two hundred U.S. dollars. Filming the role is scheduled to begin on May the eleventh to the fourteenth."

Casey then told the two, "If all of that sounds agreeable to both of you, I can call W.B. now and have them email me the official contract within ten minutes."

Will agreed. He then read a script for the television show 'Zoo' while Erin read the contract for that role.

After reading the third and final script, Will stated, "This one has no title."

"Not yet," Casey said when she looked up from her phone. "Sony Pictures hired Sofia Coppola to direct this romance-drama. Main stars are Julia Roberts, Jeffry Dean Morgan, and MacKenzie Foy. If we get you this gig, filming would occur in mid June, as would Zoo. So you'll have to choose between playing a comedic role in Zoo or a romantic in the Coppola flick."

"Hey," Will said when he entered the suite, seeing Nick sitting on the couch with his laptop and drawing tablet. "How was work today?"

"Hey," Nick said back, looking up from his computer. "Oh my god! I love your hair! I was not excited about you getting a haircut, but it looks really good!"

"Thanks," Will replied, hanging his brown leather jacket on the back of a chair. "Casey wasn't sure how to cut my hair. She didn't want an undercut, but the stylist said it would make me look the most boyish."

"Did the stylist also teach you how to fix your hair like this?" Nick asked, gently touching his fingers to Will's neat pompadour.

"Yeah," Will answered, glancing at Nick's thick, juicy lips. "Umm, I bought some hair wax and hairspray for it. So, Percy, how was work?"

"Oh, God!" Nick howled with laughter. "Who told you my middle name? It's so embarrassing."

Will grinned toothily as he responded, "I think it's cute, Nikolai!"

"You didn't know that my name was Nikolai?" Nick asked, surprised. "I'm pretty sure I told you. Did you think it was Nicholas all this time?"

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if you told me your name," Will laughed again. "Well, I could've asked. Nikolai Percival Manon."

Nick groaned and hid his face in his hands dramatically before begging, "Ahh! Please stop saying it!"

"Aww, don't be embarrassed! I think it's completely, utterly, impossibly adorable! Seriously."

"No it isn't," Nick retorted with a laugh. "What's your middle name?"

"Nope," Will shook his head hard. "Nope. Hey, dinner smells great."

"What's your whole name!?" Nick demanded, smiling with frustration. "Or you don't get dinner."

Amused, Will smirked and asked, "Oh, are you sending me to bed starving?"

"Yes, you ass. Tell me your middle name or I'll choose a more severe punishment."

Will laughed again and asked, "Yeah? What's more severe than going to bed hungry beyond hungry and waking up starved to death?"

Looking deadly serious, Nick answered, "I will tickle you, not to death, but to the point that you piss yourself."

"Ha!" Will laughed. "I ain't ticklish, Percy."

Nick responded by sliding his computer and tablet off his lap and jumping into Will's lap. He immediately drove his fingers to Will's inner thighs and wiggling his fingers there. This caused Will to laugh uproariously and he tried with all his might to push the brunette off of him. Due to the merciless attack, Will wasn't strong enough.

"Pe-Percy!" Will screamed in his laughter. "Stop! Please!"

Laughing and tickling his boyfriend vigorously, Nick demanded, "What's my name, Billy!?"

Breathless from laughing, Will replied, "Percy! P-Percy! Forever Percy! Okayokayokay! I-I'm sorry! Nicky! Your name is- is Nicky!"

Nick laughed softly in victory as he stopped his assault. Will laid his head to Nick's shoulder as the man slid off his lap and sat beside him.

"Now tell me your middle name," Nick said sultrily, to which Will shook his head. "Now. Before I tickle you ag--"

"--Okay!" Will relented, almost panicked. "Promise not to laugh."

"What?" Nick asked, intrigued.

"Promise!" Will demanded, smiling with a red chagrin. "Pinky promise."

"What?" Nick asked, his smile growing. "Oh, is it something embarrassing? Ezekiel?"

"Mm-mm," Will shook his head. "More embarrassing than that. It's- umm... It's Josiah."

Trying to hold back the laughter, trying very hard, Nick asked, "W-what? Josiah? Seriously? I- you... Lord."

Will smacked Nick's chest and cried, "You promised you wouldn't laugh!"

The slap to his chest only made Nick laugh. It was just a small burst, Nick quickly caught it. He adored the utterly deep shade of red which Will's face coloured.

"Aww, c'mon!" Nick cried, grinning. "You're begging for laughter with that name!"

Will, smiling, delivered a good punch to Nick's thigh and responded, "I didn't choose it, you monkey butt!"

Nick pulled Will into his chest and replied, "Aww, my cutie. I'm sorry for laughing at your impossibly, sinfully cute name. Hey, I'll start calling you 'Billy Joe'!"

"Gawd!" Will groaned. "No, you can't call me that. Makes me sound like a redneck or an Amish farmer or something. Percival, promise me."

Nick laughed as he replied, "Okay. As long you don't mention my middle name. Ever. Again."

"Deal," Will sealed it with a kiss before he laid down, using Nick's thigh as a pillow. "Now what's for dinner?"

Nick began gently scraping his nails on the short buzzed hair adorning the side of Will's head as he answered, "It's chicken breasts in a white wine and garlic sauce in the crockpot. I've got wild rice in the rice cooker, and diced potatoes and carrots roasting with cheddar in the oven. Smells great, huh? Wasn't sure how long you'd be rehearsing with your costar, so dinner'll be ready at nine-thirty."

But I Call It Love

To Be Continued...

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