Title: All about the next four years
Fandom: Entourage/West Wing
Characters: Josh Lyman, Ari Gold (Vince, Eric, Donna, Santos)
Rating: R because Ari curses a lot
Length: 2200 words
Disclaimer: All belongs to Sorkin, Wells, Ellin, and other folks not me.
Spoilers: S7 of The West Wing, at least 5.01 of Entourage. Takes place before the election, whichever year you think that is.
Summary: It’s not a paying gig, but it’s high profile. Anyone who gets near Santos gets on TV. Now, Vince may not see the benefits of that kind of publicity, but Ari sure as hell can. And if getting some good word for his star client means talking to his estranged half-brother, well that’s just how this shit pans out sometimes.
AN: This is really just something else to add to my list of 'things I blame
raedbard for ;) It started with her pointing me
here and daring me! This is the one where they are half-brothers, as opposed to the one where they have sex. I can't promise I won't write the other.
AN2: Obviously canon liberties have been taken. Mostly the part where Josh doesn't have a brother, but also that the election year in TWW S7 doesn't match with the real life election. The other years might almost match up though.
It’s not a paying gig, but it’s high profile. Anyone who gets near Santos gets on TV. Now, Vince may not see the benefits of that kind of publicity, but Ari sure as hell can.
And if getting some good word for his star client means talking to his estranged half-brother, well that’s just how this shit pans out sometimes.
Santos is keeping Vince waiting, chatting amicably with the reporters outside the building. His team is inside though, a gaggle of tired-looking aides in wrinkled suits. Josh looks the worst of the bunch, walking over to where Ari stands with Vince and E.
Josh smiles tightly. “Ari.”
“Josh. Long time, man.”
Eric laughs. “Ari, how the hell do you know Josh Lyman?”
Ari had hoped maybe he could have avoided this conversation - Vince doesn’t pay that much attention to politics - but if Eric already knows who Josh is… He turns around. “Eric Murphy, Josh Lyman. Eric mismanages Vincent Chase, Josh is my older brother. His father screwed around with my mother before she met my Dad.”
“Half-brother,” Josh corrects, too sharp to be just an automatic response.
“No use,” Ari says, “Vince has been giving his half-brother a free ride for about five years now, he doesn’t see the difference. So what have you done for me lately, huh?”
“Like you said, it’s been a while.”
Eric and Vince are stepping back a little, giving each other quick, curious glances. Ari guesses he probably should have mentioned this part before he pushed the appearance. He looks at Josh. “Last time I saw you, it was all about Hoynes, wasn’t it? You jumped ship fast enough. Becoming a habit, I hear.”
“Well, last time I saw you, you were repping models-slash-actresses and talentless pretty-boys. I guess some things just don’t change.”
Ari is really pretty tempted just to let Eric have him, but this is Vince’s day. Hilarious as it would be to let Josh get mauled by a furious Irishman, it would do Vince’s chances of career-revival no good at all. He puts himself in between them.
Vince curls his hand around Eric’s shoulder. “Let it go. I don’t think it’s anything to do with us anyway.” He looks at Ari, something like apology or pity in his down-tilted head. He says to E, “C’mon, lets grab a soda before I have to make nice with the future President.”
They walk away, and Ari calls at them, “He’s not the fucking President yet!”
Ari, thankfully, is used to being glared at. Some people just don’t know what to do with the truth.
Josh frowns at him. “He’s gonna be President.”
“Sure, whatever you say.”
“Ari, you’re not going to tell me you’re one of them, are you?”
“One of who?”
Josh whispers it. “Republican.”
Ari can’t help his laughter. Josh says ‘Republican’ like other people might say ‘paedophile’ or ‘murdering sadist’. Like he hasn’t walked past a hundred of them just to get into this room, on the edges of a Hollywood film set. There’s not so much of a liberal bias around here as Josh would like to believe - just look at the state Governor. Ari says, “I brought my boy here, what more do you want from me?”
“You brought your boy here because he can’t get a job.”
“And you said yes because yours needs to win California, and a nuclear leak wasn’t enough. You really need me to say he has my vote?”
“It’d be nice.”
“Well, your side thinks I earn too much, and that I should send my kids to public school with the rest of the unwashed masses. But the other side thinks I’m a Godless liberal deviant who’s gonna burn in hell. So yeah, Josh, you have my vote. Feel better?”
Josh doesn’t answer, because Congressman Matthew Santos has walked into the room. He tries to intercept the Congressman before he reaches Vince, but doesn’t quite make it.
Santos says, “Vincent,” and takes Vince’s hand before continuing with, “my kids loved Aquaman.”
Oh, this is gonna be one of those meetings. Vince is a better actor than his recent output, but there’s something a little fixed about his smile.
Josh touches Santos’ back and says, “Congressman. Can we get the photographers in?”
“Give us a minute, Josh,” Santos says, “I think we’re going to talk first. Go see your brother.”
“Half-brother,” Josh mutters, dismissed. He tracks back across the room, ending up at Ari’s side.
Ari looks at him. “You talk about me to your boss? I’m flattered. I thought I was just the dirty little Hollywood secret?”
The last last time they had spoken, in fact, Ari was pretty sure he had been described as ‘the only mistake my father ever made’. Ari hates cheaters, but he’s never lost a kid, so who knows what that would drive you to do? And anyway, it’s hard to feel jealous of Josh, who’s clearly a heart attack or a breakdown waiting to happen. Not long waiting, either, by the looks of things. Christ but he hopes that hairline isn’t genetic.
Josh’s attention is sliding between Santos and Vince, and the blonde across the room being hassled by Drama and Turtle. Josh glares. “What is it with Donna and Hollywood guys?”
Donna, okay, might be watching Vince. Or she might be watching Santos, or just looking for an out from Drama’s advances. Either way, Ari doesn’t believe Josh sometimes. He says, “Yeah, she’s gonna leave you for an actor. She looks just the type. Eric’s the one you should be watching her with, you know that, right?”
“Which one’s Eric?”
Ari points. “That one.” The one who has (finally) noticed Drama and Turtle, and gone to rescue Donna. She smiles at whatever he says, and allows herself to be led a few paces away, where Eric can get himself between her and the guys. He nods at Vince, and she laughs, and answers him with a warm grin.
Colour has risen in Josh’s cheeks. “How’d you-?”
“Eric spends his time looking after highly-strung prima donnas. He sympathises. Also, you called Vince talentless.”
“So?”
“You did it in front of Eric. Frankly, if you’re still alive by morning I’ve underestimated one of you.”
“This is election season, I don’t have time for-“
“And when you’re elected, then you’re going to have time to make amends? That girl’s going to spend your hundred days writing apology cards. Just ask my wife.”
“This is different to what you do. I-”
“Not that different. We both spend all of our time trying to get people less talented than we are to convince the public that they’re not. We both bend over and take it, so our guys don’t have to. We both lie for a living, Josh. The only difference is, I didn’t lose all my hair to do it. Also, I get to fuck beautiful women on a regular basis, and you think you’re above all that.”
“You fuck one woman on a regular basis.”
“But she is beautiful. And the mother of my kids. Plenty of people have it worse.”
Josh shrugs. “Yeah.”
“Of course, plenty of people don’t have to rely on film stars and politicians for their continued employment.”
And then Josh laughs. “Yeah, what’s that all about?”
“Still.”
“Still.”
Santos laughs, loudly, and he has a movie-star smile. Vince looks a little taken aback, and a little pleased with himself. Santos is miming a camera, pointing it at Vince’s face.
Josh sneaks to the door and waves the cameras in; they take candid shots of the Congressman goofing around with Vince Chase, who is smiling and looking relaxed for the first time in months.
They notice the cameras eventually, and it turns more serious. Santos puts his arm around Vince’s shoulders, turning him towards the press. Vince manages to say something about the importance of voting, and deflects questions about Medellín by sounding like he knows anything about international politics.
Even Josh looks impressed. “A little more than a pretty face, then?”
“He’s a star.”
“He’ll get over the film, Ari.”
“I was talking about Santos. He plays the cameras better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“He’s a lot more than that.”
“He’d better be, if you’re going to let him run the country.”
“I thought he wasn’t President yet?”
“If he wins, I’m going to tell everyone Vinnie sealed it up right here. Might even tell them I sealed it up right here, if he's still polling well in the spring."
Josh leans past Ari to grab a bottle of water, looking unperturbed. “Doesn’t matter who gets the credit, as long as we get there.”
Ari scoffs. “Genetics isn’t everything, then.”
Josh turns around, eyes intense. “You’re telling me if you could get something Vince wanted, something he deserved, but it meant no one would ever know your name, you’d even think twice?”
“I’ve done worse things for a client than gone unremembered.”
Josh slides Ari a bottle. “Yeah.”
“Credit helps though. Helps keep the minions on their toes.”
“Keeps everyone else there too.”
Ari knew Josh would be that guy. He’s the guy on the edge, the guy that keeps his friends and enemies terrified. Washington politics is more insular than Hollywood - not all of their stories get out - but Ari’s heard enough. Josh is in the middle of a complicated network of debts and promises that makes even Ari’s look straightforward. No room to put a foot wrong. Then, neither does Ari nowadays. He curses Vince, again, for fucking Medellín, and for Walsh, and passing on Aquaman 2.
Then Vince laughs, and the microphones all catch it, and even the reporters who’ve traipsed here with Santos' press look charmed. Josh grins, and leans back so he’s shoulder to shoulder with Ari. He nods, and looks momentarily less exhausted. Ari lets himself take a breath. This is a good day.
He muses, “Texans are crazy, you know that? I know I said I was voting for him, but do you really want one of them with their finger on the nuclear button? Country singers and crazy people, that’s what the state produces.”
Josh just sighs at him, and keeps watching Vince and Santos. After a moment he gives Ari a sideways look, and a deliberate pause. “And you’d know all about crazy, of course.” And there was Ari thinking he’d completely lost his sense of humour.
It’s winding down, and Eric walks over with Donna. Donna is glaring at Josh. “What did you say?”
“Sorry?”
“To Eric?”
This is almost better than the fight Ari stopped. Josh colours, and looks at Eric. “Sorry. For before. I was just… Ari’s… Look, if we get into the White House, I’ll get Vince an invite, okay?”
Eric waves a hand. “Sure. It doesn’t matter. Ari probably started it.” It’s nice to know Ari can count on Eric’s support. Ari hits him with the half-empty bottle of water, to demonstrate how he feels about breaking ranks. Eric shoves him back, but lightly. Maybe he is on Ari’s side after all.
Santos is released by the last of the press corps, and comes to do a round of handshakes. He looks at Ari for a long moment, no doubt trying to see the resemblance. He taps Josh’s arm and says, “The car’s leaving in five minutes, wheels up in an hour thirty.”
“Yeah.”
Donna and the others leave with Santos, and Vince and Eric back away to a respectable distance.
Josh says, “So.”
“So.”
“Still not ready to go to DC and do something that matters? You got a pretty good law degree.”
“So did you. When are you going to concede defeat and go do something that won’t kill you?”
Josh sighs. “There’s nothing else, is there?”
“Never been anything like it.”
“So,” Josh says.
“Four years from now,” Ari says, “When you’ve just won re-election.”
“And Vince has just won his first Oscar,” Josh adds.
“I’ll see you then. Assuming neither of us has driven ourselves to an early grave. Or been driven there.”
“Yeah.” Josh takes Ari’s hand, and shakes it firmly. His eyes don’t quite meet Ari’s when he lets go, and hurries out the door back to Santos, and the job that isn’t finished yet. Won’t ever be finished, really, and Ari knows what that feels like.
Vince says, “Santos is actually a pretty cool guy. He wants me to come and say hey to his kids in the White House if he wins.”
“Yeah?” Eric asks.
Ari slaps him on the back, “Worth a day of discomfort then, was it, E?”
Eric’s gaze is scrutinising. “You tell me.” He walks out in front with Vince, and they start up a conversation about the Rose Garden, and whether Vince should do something political now, so he won’t always been talking about ‘that superhero movie with the fish’. Vince laughs that, “maybe he should remember to vote this time,” and Eric’s voice turns horrified and disbelieving. Ari smirks.
The press shots are great. Santos gets a slight bump in the polls, thanks to lead news stories where he looks young and funny and energetic. Vince gets three offers once the town realises that he is not dead, in rehab, or psychotic. Neither Ari nor Josh are in any of the photos.
When Santos wins, they get an engraved invitation to come to the White House. Josh has slipped a note along with it: Ari. Turns out I’m not willing to let my younger brother have all the credit, but I can share it around. See you in sooner than four years. Josh.
FIN