magical_geek (magical_geek) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-11-11 19:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, billy kaplan (wiccan), teddy altman (hulkling) |
Who: Theodore Altman and Billy Kaplan
What: House Hunters: Beachfront property in the OC Edition
When: Wednesday, October 29th, afternoon.
Where: The OC Beach Cities--Newport, Huntington, and Dana Point.
Rating: Low/None
Status: Complete
Theodore had to admit that Billy was proving to be a capable and professional assistant. Not only had he chauffeured him to and from the set as needed, but also had arranged for a rental car for Theodore’s personal use, which he’d used, some, mostly to get out of the hotel. He’d been at the hotel for nearly a month, and while there were some perks, staying in a hotel for that long made him feel eccentric and disconnected.
The bottom line was that he was starting to long for a place of his own, but he was also particular. If he was going to buy a house, he was going to buy something on the beach. He’d grown up in Malibu, where his parents’ had purchased a substantial beachfront home, and home just didn’t feel like home if he couldn’t walk out onto the back patio and see the ocean. So, that was rule #1: beachfront property. His second rule was that it needed to stay in the OC. He didn’t want to go back north, and with the studio being located in Anaheim, it made sense to stay nearby.
He’d also given Billy a modest budget of around $5 million. Yes, that was modest. Being the only heir to wealthy parents had its advantages, though there wasn’t a moment that went by where he wouldn’t give it all back to have his parents still alive. With those guidelines in mind, Billy had come up with a list of four properties, and on Wednesday, when he wasn’t required to be on set, the two of them had decided to visit the properties in person without a realtor.
Billy was driving, so Theodore had gone down to the lobby early to order two coffee drinks--an unintentional mirroring of their first meeting the week prior.
Billy had to admit he was rather enjoying being Teddy’s PA. He wasn’t overly demanding, easy to talk to and pretty easy going. He enjoyed his job now more than he had in a long time and he had to admit once his assignment was over he was really going to miss him. Of course it had been very strange at first what with them being engaged in the dreams and everything but Billy had pushed that as far back in his mind as he could especially since Teddy had no idea. And he was in the closet, very firmly.
He’d noticed the slight downturn in Teddy recently and knew the hotel was getting to him which was why he’d been working hard on finding a property for him. He’d found some good possibilities and they were going to have a fun day of house hunting. It was especially fun for Billy since the budget had been so huge, he’d never in a million years be able to afford anything close to any of them so it was nice to imagine.
He pulled up outside the hotel and found Teddy waiting with coffee. He grinned at that reminded of their meeting in Teddy’s trailer which seemed so long ago yet no time at all. “Morning” he called out cheerfully, “Ready to find ‘Teddy’s dream home’?” he said, using his hands to emphasise the last three words and a wink to show he was teasing.
Theodore rolled his eyes as he got in the car and handed Billy his latte. “Like I need more comparisons to being a Ken doll,” he said, dryly. Even though he’d only known Billy for a week, they’d gotten comfortable with each other quickly. He wasn’t sure if that was due to the job, but his inclination was to credit Billy’s easygoing nature and trustworthy nature.
“So...where are we headed first?”
“Thanks” Billy said as he was handed the coffee then laughed, “You beat a Ken doll hands down, you have better fashion sense for a start,” he teased, it was nice how quickly they had gotten so relaxed with each other, even before Teddy started dreaming.
“Now where would be the fun if I told you, just wait and see. Trust me,” he grinned.
“I’ve only known you a week,” Theodore reminded him, smiling behind dark sunglasses. “And you want me to trust you?” It probably should have shocked him more to realize that he already did.
“I do, scandalous isn’t it?” Billy laughed as he pulled away from the curb and began driving them to their first destination, “Are you trying to tell me you don’t? I’m rather hurt if you are.”
Theodore tilted his head on the headrest to regard Billy, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Would you blame me if I said I didn’t? It’s not generally wise to trust people in our industry, is it?”
“Ah but I’m not technically in your industry, not in the same sense,” Billy replied, glancing at him with a grin. “And while it might not be wise, I think we both know I’m too amazing not to trust,” he joked.
“You’re too something,” Theodore mused, admiring Billy’s profile. He sipped at his coffee and let himself be distracted by thoughts of Billy. “You could be trying to seduce me,” he added, letting flirtation slip into his tone.
“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Billy informed him with a laugh, focusing on the road. But shot him an amused look at his next words “I could be, who knows where I’m really taking you? Maybe I have a secret den of debauchery.”
That earned a raised eyebrow from Theodore, and a coy smile. “You wouldn’t need a secret den of debauchery to seduce me,” he demurred.
“Oh really? That easy are you?” Billy grinned, “You shouldn’t let people know that so soon you know. Play hard to get.”
“I’m not talking about ‘people’ in the abstract,” Theodore countered. “I’m talking about you, specifically.” He continued to study Billy’s profile as he drove. “I’d let you seduce me.” It was supposed to be light, a joke, but somehow it came off more serious than that.
Billy couldn’t help looking over at Teddy then, their eyes met and held for longer than they should before Billy tore his gaze away and back to the road. “That would lead to a really awkward working situation,” he tried to joke lightly, “And you know Justin might have something to say about it.”
The moment broken, Theodore shifted, and took another sip from his coffee, and looked out the window. “Right. The boyfriend,” he said, his tone carefully blank. It wasn’t that Billy’s boyfriend made him jealous--jealousy wasn’t the right word. It was more like...envy for something he would never have. Not as long as he couldn’t come out, anyway.
“So where are we going, really?”
It was strange but Billy almost felt guilty for bringing up his boyfriend, which was ridiculous because if anything he should feel guilty for flirting with Teddy but he simply couldn’t seem to stop. It was all rather disconcerting.
“We’re going to visit the first house on the list.” Billy had kind of already settled on one but it wasn’t his house so he felt it only fair to show them all to Teddy.
Theodore hummed a little in response, and kept his gaze focused out the window, though he mentally reviewed the list Billy had sent him. He hadn’t bothered looking at them, but he vaguely recalled the addresses. “The one in Sunset?”
Billy nodded, “That’s the one. Good memory,” he added with a smile, “It’s in a lovely area, the beach is amazing. I’m not sure the house is really you. But, I wanted you to see it.”
“Then I’ll see it,” Theodore replied softly. Because he did trust Billy.
***
When they turned down the alley and Billy parked behind the garage, Theodore noted how close the houses all were to each other--which wasn’t bad, necessarily. He’d lived in New York. He knew what close quarters felt like. But it was a little less private than he wanted, ideally.
He glanced over at Billy and shrugged. “You have the code?”
It had looked more promising on paper than it did in real life and Billy felt it wasn’t quite modern enough for Teddy but since he didn’t know him as well here as he did in the dreams he decided that it should be up to the other man to decide.
Nodding, “I do,” he confirmed, “Come on.”
Theodore followed Billy inside. The ground floor door past the garage led into a small foyer, and a staircase straight ahead. Everything was wood--like, a knotty, warm-colored wood that felt outdated, somehow. Probably because of the heavy leather and furniture.
He had to admit the view was nice, though. The big glass windows, and the patio that was actually on the beach. The beach was calming, even if the rest of the house was not.
“This reminds me of my uncle’s house,” he observed, standing in front of the glass windows. “Not in a good way.” There were two more floors, but he didn’t see the point of exploring more.
The wood wasn’t bad in itself, but combined with everything else it did feel more old old rather than classy old. Billy hadn’t felt very comfortable when he’d visited the first time.
“Sorry, I thought it wasn’t right.” Of course he’d had no way of knowing about the Uncle thing though. “Let’s get going to the next one then.”
“It’s a good view though,” Theodore replied, offering Billy a small smile. “And the windows are exactly what I asked for, so...two out of three ain’t bad, as the saying goes. If the other ones are awful...we could come back to this. Strip it down, redecorate.”
Billy shook his head, “Nope, we aren’t going to make do. We’re going to find something that’s perfect. For you, a place that’s just instantly you.” he assured Teddy.
“You think a place like that exists?” Theodore studied Billy for a long moment, curious at the determination. “You’re a romantic, aren’t you?” he teased. “You probably believe in true love, too. That there’s one person in the universe that people are destined to be with.”
“Of course I do.” Billy said, because he did think the last house on the list was pretty perfect. “Maybe a little. Something like that, I believe in destiny and fate anyway.” But one person in the universe? Before Billy would have said yes, now he wasn’t so sure.
Theodore let out a soft, incredulous laugh, his expression fond. “Alright, if you’re so sure. Let’s go find my destiny.”
***
The next couple of houses were similar, there was just something not quite right. But eventually they came to the one Billy really liked and he hoped Teddy would too. “Okay, so just let me know what you think.”
There was no way of mistaking this house for its neighbors, with its striking, blocky outer architecture. It was different--modern, in a way the others hadn’t been, although it was obviously different from its neighbors, it wasn’t off-putting.
“Well, it doesn’t remind me of my uncle’s,” Theodore replied, wryly, and then nodded. “Let’s go in.”
Billy rolled his eyes, “A ringing endorsement,” he teased before leading the way inside. “It’s currently empty, no occupants so have a good look around and see if you like it.” Personally Billy thought it was miles ahead of all the others.
Theodore flashed Billy a grin and then got out of the car, waited for Billy to let him in. Once the door was open, his first impression was that of...light. And space. The interior, like the exterior, was modern, but not in an off-putting way. It felt...strangely welcoming, although it shouldn’t.
He wandered away from Billy, walking slowly through the space, admiring the white, and the light, and the openness that was somehow achieved, until he arrived at the windows--by far the largest floor-to-ceiling windows of any of the houses that they’d seen, and the most like his mental expectation.
Billy followed Teddy as he walked around looking through the house, he kept quiet just letting him take it all in. Until he reached the windows, he smiled and came up alongside him. “This is kind of my favourite part,” he said softly with a smile.
The comment drew a soft laugh from Theodore, and he turned his head to regard Billy. “Yeah, it’s...kind of amazing,” he agreed. “It’s…exactly what I had in my head.”
A bright smile lit Billy’s face, “Really?” he said happily, “Maybe I am a mind reader then,” he quipped with a chuckle.
“Oh, you’re something, alright,” Theodore replied, dryly. He turned away, because that smile was going to lead him to do something that Billy would regret, or worse, reject. “It’s perfect.” He pulled away from the windows. “Have you seen upstairs?”
Billy laughed and pushed Teddy’s arm lightly, “Cheeky devil,” he said but was glad, very glad that Teddy liked it. “I have, it’s pretty awesome. Come on,” he said leading the way then stepping to the side once they were up there so Teddy could look around himself.
Theodore’s expression was somewhat awed, and serious, as he looked around the open loft that served as the master bedroom. “This is pretty fantastic,” he said again. He smiled and turned in a small circle. “You want to move in with me?”
“Don’t tempt me,” Billy joked, “This place is great right?” he smiled, glad that the house he’d found had put that awed impressed look on Teddy’s face, he felt pretty proud of that.
“It’s perfect,” Theodore agreed. He walked over to the patio door, and stepped out onto the balcony. The sun already hung low in the horizon, though it wasn’t quite sunset, and he inhaled deeply, smiling as he turned his face towards the sun. “Call the realtor. Make an offer. I don’t want to waste any more time. You know any good decorators?”
"I know decorators, I can get on that straight away. They'll have plans to show you by the end of the week," he said, "Are you sure? You don't want to sleep on it or anything?" Billy checked, though he had his phone out already.
Theodore shook his head. “No point. This is the one. Once I decide on something, I rarely change my mind.” He turned on the balcony and faced Billy, smiled a little. “I should give you a raise.”
Billy laughed, “I’m not sure the studio would agree but I appreciate the thought,” he replied before dialling the number and waiting for the realtor to answer. He knew once Teddy was settled the studio would reassign Billy but he did hope it would be a while before that happened, he was very much enjoying working with Teddy.