Sara (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
scripted_sra) wrote2009-03-03 09:38 pm
scripted_sra) wrote2009-03-03 09:38 pm
Fake News (RPF) | The Way Things Need To Be | PG-13 | Brian/Jon (9/10)
Title: The Way Things Need To Be (9/10)
Fandom: Fake News (RPF)
Rating: PG-13 for this part.
Pairing: Brian/Jon and others.
Warning: AU; BDSM.
Summary: In a universe where people are primarily defined by position—whether they are dominant, a switch, or submissive—Jon and others struggle to deal with dating, prejudice, and the drama that comes from not fitting neatly inside society’s narrowly-defined idea of how things should be.
Word Count: 1,500 for this part.
Disclaimer: All copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. This work is not created for profit and constitutes fair use. References to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
A/N: See masterpost for full header, author’s notes, and thanks.
“Jon, are you okay?” Kristen asked, looking concerned when he nearly jumped out of his chair.
“What? Oh,” he said, looking embarrassed. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You’ve, um, been reading that same page of the script for the past fifteen minutes.”
Jon looked around the writers’ room. Everyone was giving him varying concerned or worried looks.
He flushed. “Sorry, guys,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m a little out of it today. What time is it?”
“Almost noon,” said one of the writers.
“Let’s break for lunch, then,” Jon said. “I’ll be more with it after I eat something, I think.” He gave a reassuring look to his staff, who were still looking at him skeptically. “I’m fine, guys. Promise. We’ll meet back here at one.”
As the writers filed out of the room, Kristen leaned in. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” He forced a smile. “I’m probably just tired, or something.” Kristen did not look like she believed that for a second, but nonetheless she nodded at him. Relieved, he got up and left the room. Some lunch would do him good.
* * *
“Why are you so...twitchy?” Stephen asked Jon, who had been fidgeting in his chair. He gave him a worried look. After hearing rumors that Jon had been out of it all week, seeing the confirmation with his own eyes was kind of concerning
“I’m not twitchy.”
“You’re very twitchy.” Stephen raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Brian’s planning on giving me a collar soon.”
“He told you this?”
“I found it accidentally.” Jon sighed, covering his face with his hands. “I should’ve listened to you.”
Stephen gave him a look. “You mean you still haven’t told him everything about Joe?” Why did that not surprise him as much as it should have?
“It’s not that fucking easy, Stephen.”
“Well, no, but you should talk about it with him. I’m sure he’ll understand. What he won’t understand is you rejecting his collar with no explanation.”
“You don’t think I want to tell him?” Jon snapped, standing up. “It’s too fucking irrational, Stephen. I know Brian’s a good guy. Why do I feel this way?”
“Because Joe was an asshole. It’s not your fault.”
“I should just leave Brian be,” Jon said. “He shouldn’t have to deal with this shit.”
“Oh, right, throw everything away. That’s really bright. Come on, Jon, don’t be stupid.”
Jon glared at him. “It’s better than making him put up with this. I’m a sub who can’t even talk to his dom about himself. There’s something fucking wrong with that.”
“So you’d rather just give up? Taking the easy road isn’t your style.”
“Fuck you.” He didn’t bother saying goodbye as he left.
Stephen sighed, dropping his face into his hands. Excellent. He sat there for a few minutes before he heard, “Stephen?”
He didn’t bother looking up. “Yeah, Allison?”
“Why did Jon just storm out of here?”
“He’s being a stubborn asshole,” Stephen said, finally lifting his head up. “It’s not entirely his fault, but I’m afraid he’s going to do something stupid.”
Allison looked sympathetic. “Anything I can do?”
“No,” Stephen said. “There isn’t. I don’t even know if there’s anything I can do.”
* * *
Jon was still pissed at himself for blowing up at Stephen when he got to Brian’s that night. He’d acted like a douchebag when Stephen had only been doing what a friend was supposed to do.
“Before we have dinner, tonight, I want to talk to you,” Brian said, leading him into the living room. Jon blanched when he saw the black jewelry case sitting on the coffee table. “It’s been almost two months, and I think it’s time that I give you this.” Brian smiled at Jon, picking up the case and handing it to him.
“Brian, wait,” Jon said, and Brian frowned at him.
“What’s the matter?”
“I can’t...” he trailed off. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Brian set the case back down on the coffee table. “All right, Jon,” he said, tone firm as he sat next to him. “Talk to me. Now. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Jon gave him a look. “I can’t be ordered to talk, Brian. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Too bad.” Brian looked at him. “Talk to me.”
“No,” Jon said, standing up. “I’m leaving. I’m not going to be expected to tell you things on command.”
“Jon, please,” Brian said, standing up as well and following him to the door. “I want to know what’s wrong. I want you to be able to talk to me.”
“I need to go.” He was out the door in an instant, shutting it firmly behind him. He didn’t look back.
* * *
“Are you going to answer that?” Sam asked him, once his phone rang for the third time in an about an hour.
“No,” Jon said tersely, silencing the call. “What do you want?”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “What’s the matter with you?”
Jon sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Nothing, I’m sorry. What is it you wanted?”
“Just wanted to give you these.” She handed him a stapled stack of papers. “Seriously, Jon, what’s the matter,” she paused as his phone rang again, “and who are you avoiding?”
“Nothing, and no one,” Jon said, silencing his phone yet again as he looked at the first page of the papers she’d handed him. “Is that all you wanted?”
She frowned at him. “You know I’m here if you need to talk.”
“I don’t need to talk.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Jon sighed to himself as he watched her leave his office.
* * *
“Something’s bothering him,” said someone who sounded like Samantha.
Jon hadn’t intended to start eavesdropping, but since he’d paused outside the break room once he’d heard that there were a significant number of people in there talking rather animatedly about him, it seemed his intentions didn’t really matter.
“What is?” That voice was Jason’s.
“I don’t know, but he’s in a bad mood. And someone keeps trying to get a hold of him, but he won’t answer the phone.”
“Trouble in paradise, perhaps?” There was John.
“You think he and Brian had a fight?” And Rob.
“Stephen might know for sure,” added someone who was almost certainly Kristen.
“Maybe we should ask him. Jon’s not himself.” That was Samantha again.
“I don’t think we should get too involved,” Rob was saying. “Jon’s a private guy. He probably wouldn’t appreciate it.”
And yet you’re standing around in the break room talking about me anyway, Jon thought, even though he knew he was being uncharitable. His friends were concerned about him, and it wasn’t like the concern was baseless. He’d been rude and terse to more people than just Samantha.
Sighing to himself, he headed back to his office. He needed to figure this out, and to do that, he needed peace and quiet and some time to think.
* * *
“He won’t talk to me.”
Stephen sighed to himself, looking up to seeing a dejected Brian Williams standing in the doorway of his office. It was a peculiar sight to behold. “He’s not talking to anyone.”
“But I’m his dom! He should be able to talk to me, to tell me anything! I just want to know what it is I’ve done wrong, and why he doesn’t want to be mine.”
“He wants to be yours, Brian,” Stephen said. “He’s not used to talking about this shit, is all.” He hesitated; should he tell Brian what was wrong with Jon? It was meddling, but if Jon was insisting on fucking up a good thing, it might be justified. “You remember the issue he had with the clothes?”
“Yeah, why?” Brian asked, and then it appeared to dawn on him. “You’re not telling me there’s more?”
“There’s more,” Stephen confirmed. “Back in his mid-twenties, Jon had this dom named Joe. Total fucking asshole. Treated him like shit. He’s also the last person he had a collar with.” Stephen gave him a significant look. “He’d use it to fuck with him. He’d take it away for no reason, saying Jon hadn’t earned it, or he didn’t want others to know that Jon was his. It...did a number on him. I’d hoped he was going to tell you before you gave him his collar, but...”
“But he’s Jon.”
“Pretty much.”
Brian sat down on Stephen’s couch, looking upset. “I would never treat him like that. That somebody did makes me want to find the guy and strangle him. Jon’s so good. Why would...” he trailed off. “I have to talk to him, but he keeps avoiding my calls. How do I make him talk to me?”
Stephen smiled sadly. “This is one instance where you can’t make him do anything, I think,” he said. “Jon has to come to you.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Let’s hope he does.”
Fandom: Fake News (RPF)
Rating: PG-13 for this part.
Pairing: Brian/Jon and others.
Warning: AU; BDSM.
Summary: In a universe where people are primarily defined by position—whether they are dominant, a switch, or submissive—Jon and others struggle to deal with dating, prejudice, and the drama that comes from not fitting neatly inside society’s narrowly-defined idea of how things should be.
Word Count: 1,500 for this part.
Disclaimer: All copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. This work is not created for profit and constitutes fair use. References to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
A/N: See masterpost for full header, author’s notes, and thanks.
“Jon, are you okay?” Kristen asked, looking concerned when he nearly jumped out of his chair.
“What? Oh,” he said, looking embarrassed. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You’ve, um, been reading that same page of the script for the past fifteen minutes.”
Jon looked around the writers’ room. Everyone was giving him varying concerned or worried looks.
He flushed. “Sorry, guys,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m a little out of it today. What time is it?”
“Almost noon,” said one of the writers.
“Let’s break for lunch, then,” Jon said. “I’ll be more with it after I eat something, I think.” He gave a reassuring look to his staff, who were still looking at him skeptically. “I’m fine, guys. Promise. We’ll meet back here at one.”
As the writers filed out of the room, Kristen leaned in. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” He forced a smile. “I’m probably just tired, or something.” Kristen did not look like she believed that for a second, but nonetheless she nodded at him. Relieved, he got up and left the room. Some lunch would do him good.
“Why are you so...twitchy?” Stephen asked Jon, who had been fidgeting in his chair. He gave him a worried look. After hearing rumors that Jon had been out of it all week, seeing the confirmation with his own eyes was kind of concerning
“I’m not twitchy.”
“You’re very twitchy.” Stephen raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Brian’s planning on giving me a collar soon.”
“He told you this?”
“I found it accidentally.” Jon sighed, covering his face with his hands. “I should’ve listened to you.”
Stephen gave him a look. “You mean you still haven’t told him everything about Joe?” Why did that not surprise him as much as it should have?
“It’s not that fucking easy, Stephen.”
“Well, no, but you should talk about it with him. I’m sure he’ll understand. What he won’t understand is you rejecting his collar with no explanation.”
“You don’t think I want to tell him?” Jon snapped, standing up. “It’s too fucking irrational, Stephen. I know Brian’s a good guy. Why do I feel this way?”
“Because Joe was an asshole. It’s not your fault.”
“I should just leave Brian be,” Jon said. “He shouldn’t have to deal with this shit.”
“Oh, right, throw everything away. That’s really bright. Come on, Jon, don’t be stupid.”
Jon glared at him. “It’s better than making him put up with this. I’m a sub who can’t even talk to his dom about himself. There’s something fucking wrong with that.”
“So you’d rather just give up? Taking the easy road isn’t your style.”
“Fuck you.” He didn’t bother saying goodbye as he left.
Stephen sighed, dropping his face into his hands. Excellent. He sat there for a few minutes before he heard, “Stephen?”
He didn’t bother looking up. “Yeah, Allison?”
“Why did Jon just storm out of here?”
“He’s being a stubborn asshole,” Stephen said, finally lifting his head up. “It’s not entirely his fault, but I’m afraid he’s going to do something stupid.”
Allison looked sympathetic. “Anything I can do?”
“No,” Stephen said. “There isn’t. I don’t even know if there’s anything I can do.”
Jon was still pissed at himself for blowing up at Stephen when he got to Brian’s that night. He’d acted like a douchebag when Stephen had only been doing what a friend was supposed to do.
“Before we have dinner, tonight, I want to talk to you,” Brian said, leading him into the living room. Jon blanched when he saw the black jewelry case sitting on the coffee table. “It’s been almost two months, and I think it’s time that I give you this.” Brian smiled at Jon, picking up the case and handing it to him.
“Brian, wait,” Jon said, and Brian frowned at him.
“What’s the matter?”
“I can’t...” he trailed off. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Brian set the case back down on the coffee table. “All right, Jon,” he said, tone firm as he sat next to him. “Talk to me. Now. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Jon gave him a look. “I can’t be ordered to talk, Brian. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Too bad.” Brian looked at him. “Talk to me.”
“No,” Jon said, standing up. “I’m leaving. I’m not going to be expected to tell you things on command.”
“Jon, please,” Brian said, standing up as well and following him to the door. “I want to know what’s wrong. I want you to be able to talk to me.”
“I need to go.” He was out the door in an instant, shutting it firmly behind him. He didn’t look back.
“Are you going to answer that?” Sam asked him, once his phone rang for the third time in an about an hour.
“No,” Jon said tersely, silencing the call. “What do you want?”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “What’s the matter with you?”
Jon sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Nothing, I’m sorry. What is it you wanted?”
“Just wanted to give you these.” She handed him a stapled stack of papers. “Seriously, Jon, what’s the matter,” she paused as his phone rang again, “and who are you avoiding?”
“Nothing, and no one,” Jon said, silencing his phone yet again as he looked at the first page of the papers she’d handed him. “Is that all you wanted?”
She frowned at him. “You know I’m here if you need to talk.”
“I don’t need to talk.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Jon sighed to himself as he watched her leave his office.
“Something’s bothering him,” said someone who sounded like Samantha.
Jon hadn’t intended to start eavesdropping, but since he’d paused outside the break room once he’d heard that there were a significant number of people in there talking rather animatedly about him, it seemed his intentions didn’t really matter.
“What is?” That voice was Jason’s.
“I don’t know, but he’s in a bad mood. And someone keeps trying to get a hold of him, but he won’t answer the phone.”
“Trouble in paradise, perhaps?” There was John.
“You think he and Brian had a fight?” And Rob.
“Stephen might know for sure,” added someone who was almost certainly Kristen.
“Maybe we should ask him. Jon’s not himself.” That was Samantha again.
“I don’t think we should get too involved,” Rob was saying. “Jon’s a private guy. He probably wouldn’t appreciate it.”
And yet you’re standing around in the break room talking about me anyway, Jon thought, even though he knew he was being uncharitable. His friends were concerned about him, and it wasn’t like the concern was baseless. He’d been rude and terse to more people than just Samantha.
Sighing to himself, he headed back to his office. He needed to figure this out, and to do that, he needed peace and quiet and some time to think.
“He won’t talk to me.”
Stephen sighed to himself, looking up to seeing a dejected Brian Williams standing in the doorway of his office. It was a peculiar sight to behold. “He’s not talking to anyone.”
“But I’m his dom! He should be able to talk to me, to tell me anything! I just want to know what it is I’ve done wrong, and why he doesn’t want to be mine.”
“He wants to be yours, Brian,” Stephen said. “He’s not used to talking about this shit, is all.” He hesitated; should he tell Brian what was wrong with Jon? It was meddling, but if Jon was insisting on fucking up a good thing, it might be justified. “You remember the issue he had with the clothes?”
“Yeah, why?” Brian asked, and then it appeared to dawn on him. “You’re not telling me there’s more?”
“There’s more,” Stephen confirmed. “Back in his mid-twenties, Jon had this dom named Joe. Total fucking asshole. Treated him like shit. He’s also the last person he had a collar with.” Stephen gave him a significant look. “He’d use it to fuck with him. He’d take it away for no reason, saying Jon hadn’t earned it, or he didn’t want others to know that Jon was his. It...did a number on him. I’d hoped he was going to tell you before you gave him his collar, but...”
“But he’s Jon.”
“Pretty much.”
Brian sat down on Stephen’s couch, looking upset. “I would never treat him like that. That somebody did makes me want to find the guy and strangle him. Jon’s so good. Why would...” he trailed off. “I have to talk to him, but he keeps avoiding my calls. How do I make him talk to me?”
Stephen smiled sadly. “This is one instance where you can’t make him do anything, I think,” he said. “Jon has to come to you.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Let’s hope he does.”