Kyle and Julian, Wednesday Morning

[x-wildchild.livejournal.com]

Set before Dori and Kyle's date (log to be posted later), Julian is not happy about the entire situation and attempts to bribe Kyle, or test him or something. Who knows what goes on in Julian Keller's head? Certainly not Kyle! He's confused by the entire sequence of events.



Kyle usually bribed one of the kids into mowing the lawn, because usually it didn't take a lot of bribery really, just a promise of a couple of burgers, money for movie tickets or whatever from the petty cash box and a promise to let them use the riding mower.

However, in this sort of heat, the only lunatics willing to do that kind of thing were the fireproof ones and they were all busy lately. Which was why he was riding around on the mower in one of Cain's old ridiculous straw hats. In truth, he was done the largest section and was motoring over back to the tool shed, but ambling along casually because despite being twenty-one, about to start his senior year of college and looking forward to never fixing another broken pipe again, he really liked the riding mower. It was fun. It was sort of like a off-road vehicle only he got paid for riding around on it.

He'd just popped the keys out and was about to chain the mower to one of the steel posts (because otherwise he ended up finding it behind the stables or somewhere in the back lawn because one of the kids had tried to 'help and forgotten to put gas in the thing) when he saw Julian heading his way. Which was just strange because Keller was about the last person ever Kyle would expect to come anywhere near the shed.

Dressed in a smart suit and tie, Julian strode across the freshly cut grass flanked by a nervous looking business-man with dirty glasses and a blue pin-stripe suit that just looked off and a large black man with sunglasses and a wired ear piece. The large man was carrying a silver, hard backed suitcase, handcuffed to his wrist. Keller smiled and waved hello to Kyle in a friendly manner and picked up their pace until they were in shouting distance. "Ah, Mister Gibney, just the man I was looking for- someone told me you were mowing the lawn today." As he finally approached it was clear that the man in the pin striped suit was sweating profusely while the other two suited gentlemen seemed perfectly comfortable. Julian extended a hand, a wicked grin on his face.

Kyle was so confused. "Dude, do you really wanna shake hands?" He showed both hands, grass-stained and none too clean with dirt and grease from the mower under the not-yet-trimmed claws. No point in trimming them before he was done, he might need them for something. "Also what's with the secret service?" He jerked a thumb at the man with the glasses and ear piece. "Because dude, if you're running for president I'm pretty sure you're about fifteen years too young."

"Wit was never your strong suit, Gibney," Julian grinned and thrust his hands into his pockets. "Allow me to introduce my associates," he gestured to the man on his right in the blue-pin-stripe suit, "This is Mister Carson, he's the regional manager of my family's financial affairs for this part of the country- in other words, he was assigned here by my father to ensure I didn't squander all of his money on the finer things." The rich young man turned ninety degrees and clapped the black man on his shoulder- behind dark sunglasses, the giant didn't react. "Mister Lucius here is not with the bank, he's with a private security firm operating within New York and looking to expand their business elsewhere." Julian turned back to Kyle and smiled, he motioned forward, "Gentlemen, this is Mister Kyle Gibney, all around handy-man and jack-of-all-trades, when he's not being Batman, of course." Julian winked.

Kyle looked at Julian carefully. Something was definitely up here, the younger man never complimented him. Even -after- insulting him. "Yeah, and hopefully soon to be jack of exactly one trade. I'll be happy to graduate." Not that he hated his job, but he didn't -want- it anymore. He would gladly wear khakis and a button down every damn day if it meant never being the guy to get poison ivy because he'd had to yank all of it off a wall. "Did you break something expensive, dude? Because I'm a little weirded out right now."

"To the point then," Julian snapped his fingers and Lucius stepped forward holding the briefcase in front of himself. Julian's smile was gone, "I hear that Doreen asked you out...and that you accepted. I'm here to present a counter-offer." The young man flicked the latches on the case, this would be the moment of truth, "In this case is two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I'm offering it to you, with only one condition," the lid flipped up, displaying stacks of crisp one-hundred dollar bills. Julian turned back to Kyle, "Leave Dori alone."

Kyle stared. He'd literally never seen that much money all in one place, and probably never would again. It'd certainly be enough to pay off his student loans, buy a car and probably pay off his parents mortgage and car loans and send his mom on her 'dream vacation' to Hawaii. He carefully took the briefcase from Julian, still open and kept staring at it.

Right up until he flipped it over and dumped the stacks on the ground. "Right, so you brought the secret service dude so I wouldn't punch you in the teeth. What kind of asshole do you think I am?"

Julian smiled and gave a curt nod, raising one eyebrow in a 'really?' gesture. Bending down he picked up one of the stacks and nodded to Lucius who nodded back and turned to walk away. "Thank you Mister Carson, that will be all- please follow Lucius out." Taking a step forward, he patted his hand with the stack of money, "First off, Gibney, I know that we don't like each other- for some reason, you hate me, though I can't think of one fucking thing that could have caused that. Second off...you're joking if you think you could beat me in a fair fight- if you were to try to punch my teeth in...you'd be a smear on that wall- not saying it as a threat...just, the way it is. Telekinesis and all. Finally, for some reason, my best friend likes you- Dori deserves a good man, god knows that she's had her share of shitty ones already and I had to be certain that you weren't one of them." Julian waved the stack of money before tossing it to Kyle, "Take a closer look."

"Wait, what the fuck?" Kyle said. "I don't hate you, I think you're a spoiled douchecanoe who keeps talking shit about Nick, but I don't hate you." He glanced down at the stack. "Yeah, it's money, I know, I'm poor trash, you're richer than God, whatever. And Dori's never dated anyone, so you can piss off with the 'her share of shitty ones'. Also, no such thing as a fair fight. I fucking cheat, that's how you win fights." He gave a toothy grin at the last, and then did the doubletake. "Dude, is that fucking newspaper?"

Julian nodded, pulling the two one-hundred dollar bills from their wrappings, "In all the case contains about twenty-five hundred dollars, well, no dollars now, but they're on the floor. It was a test. You passed up a crap-ton of money, not for Dori, but for your principles." Julian dropped the stack, "I want you to keep it, as a gift- a peace offering. Take Dori somewhere nice, get some new clothes- maybe a suit. Treat her like the lady that she is." Julian turned to walk out of the shed, "Oh, and I didn't mean guys she's dated." The younger man looked over his shoulder, "If you don't understand that...ask her about her dad." He started walking again, "And this conversation never happened, by the way."

"I know about her dad, her dad's a jackass, and you're insane if you think I'm not telling her. Jesus, Keller, this was a shit move and she deserves to know." Kyle kicked the stack away and followed the younger man out. "This is why you're an ass. I have a suit. Two, even and I know the difference between the summer one and the winter one. I have ties. Stop fucking assuming people are no account poor white trash just because we don't wear a tie every damn day. Stop throwing around your money like it's all you've got going for you." He was clearly not giving up.

For his part, Julian simply kept walking, a stupid smirk on his face as he strode back to the house, not saying a word in response to Kyle's provocations. He'd accomplished what he'd wanted to- he'd needed to be sure, in order to protect Doreen.