The familiar hum of the aging refrigerator in Tom's apartment felt louder than usual in the midnight silence. For more than two months, this sound had been the soundtrack to Daniel's life—a constant reminder of his "exile" and the smallness of his world. But tonight, as they sat in the living room surrounded by half-packed boxes and the lingering scent of take-out pizza, the hum felt like it was finally reaching its final note.
Daniel looked around the cramped space. His grandmother's house and this apartment had been his fortress when the rest of Hollywood had slammed its doors in his face.
"Tom," Daniel said, his voice low and steady, breaking the quiet.
Tom, who was busy trying to peel a stubborn piece of tape off a cardboard box, looked up. "Yeah, Dan? You okay? You've been staring at that wall for five minutes. If you're getting cold feet about moving, don't. I'm pretty sure the landlord is already looking for tenants who don't talk about lens flares at 3:00 AM."
Daniel didn't laugh. He leaned forward, his expression softening. "I wanted to say thank you. For everything."
Tom waved a hand dismissively. "C'mon, man. We've been over this. It's just a couch."
"It wasn't just a couch, Tom," Daniel interrupted. "You didn't just give me a place to stay. You gave me a reason to keep going. When Julian Vane stole that film and the whole UCLA called me a fraud, including the teachers, you were the only one who didn't look at me with pity. You looked at me with expectation. You let me stay here when I had nothing to my name. You used your own personal savings—ten thousand dollars of your own money—to help fund a movie that nobody else would. That's not just being a friend. That's being a partner."
Tom went quiet, the tape forgotten in his hand. He looked down at the floor, a bit embarrassed by the raw sincerity in Daniel's tone. "Daniel, I knew you were the real deal. I've known it since UCLA. It was a shame, honestly. I felt like I failed you back then because I couldn't do anything to stop what Julian did. I just... I'm glad you're back. Your talent was always going to shine, Dan. I just wanted to make sure I was there to hand you the flashlight."
Daniel reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick, heavy white envelope. It was noticeably bulging, far more substantial than the bonus envelopes he had handed out to the crew at the afterparty.
"Is that what I think it is?" Tom asked with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "Is it finally my turn for a little 'thank you' bonus?"
"It is," Daniel said, handing the envelope across the coffee table.
Tom took it with a chuckle, but as soon as his hand closed around it, his smile faltered. The weight was significant. He felt the thickness of the stacks inside. He slowly opened the flap and peeked in, his eyes widening until they looked like saucers.
"Dan... what is this?" Tom stammered. He pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, then another. "How much is in here?"
"Fifty thousand," Daniel said.
Tom nearly dropped the envelope. He shoved it back toward Daniel as if it were a hot coal. "No. No way. Absolutely not. Dan, are you crazy? You gave the others ten thousand, and that was already incredibly generous. Fifty? That's almost ten percent of our entire advance! You need this money. We have a studio to build. We have a next project to fund. You can't just go around throwing fifty grand at me because I let you sleep on my sofa."
Daniel's expression became incredibly serious. He didn't reach for the envelope. He kept his hands folded. "Tom, listen to me. This isn't just a 'thank you.' This is a return on investment. You put ten thousand in when we had nothing. You kept me motivated when I was a hermit. You gave me a roof. If you hadn't brought me out of my shell, I'd still be staring at that wall, broke and forgotten."
Daniel leaned in, his voice sincere. "I told the crew at the party that I'm not someone who doesn't know when to give bonuses. But for you, it's different. You were the only one broke and ignored right alongside me. We were in the trenches together. I have a plan for the next movie, and I'll make do with whatever cash I have, just like I did with 12 Angry Men. But I won't start the next chapter of Miller Studios knowing that my partner is still worried about his rent."
"Dan..." Tom's voice was thick.
"Accept it, Tom," Daniel said firmly. "It's time we both dominate this industry. No more living in shoeboxes. No more taking scraps. We're in the game now."
Tom looked at the envelope, then at Daniel. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision. He didn't say anything else; he just lunged forward and pulled Daniel into a crushing hug. "Thank you, Dan. Seriously. Thank you."
Daniel patted his friend's back, a small, satisfied smile on his face. The debt was settled, but the journey was just beginning.
---
A few days later, the transition was complete.
Daniel and Tom had moved out of their cramped quarters and into the quiet, leafy neighborhood of Toluca Lake. It was a pleasant, upscale area just a stone's throw from the major studio lots like Warner Bros. and Disney, but it felt a world away from the frantic noise of central Los Angeles.
They had rented two separate, mid-century modern bungalows that sat right next to each other on a peaceful cul-de-sac. The houses were beautiful, featuring open floor plans, large glass windows that looked out onto manicured gardens, and enough space for Daniel to have a dedicated study for his writing.
However, the move hadn't happened without Tom's usual protests.
"$4,500 a month, Dan!" Tom shouted over the fence as they both stood in their new backyards on the first morning. "That's nine thousand dollars between the two of us every single month just to sleep here. And that's not even counting the new office space! What if the box office numbers are a disaster? What if nobody goes to see the movie once it leaves the indie circuit? We'll be broke in four months just from the rent!"
Daniel, who was enjoying a cup of coffee while looking at a lemon tree in his yard, didn't look worried. "The advance from Horizon covered the first year of rent and the bonuses, Tom. We aren't going to be broke."
"But the risk!" Tom persisted, pacing his patio. "People in this town stay in the shadows until they're sure they've made it. We're acting like we've already won an Oscar."
"We've won the audience, Tom," Daniel said, turning to look at him. "Just trust me on this one. If you want people to treat you like a success, you have to look like one. And besides, I need the quiet to think of the next story, and you need it to turn into a script. You can't put a price on focus."
Tom groaned, but he couldn't deny that the neighborhood was gorgeous. The air was cleaner here, and for the first time in years, he didn't wake up to the sound of sirens or shouting neighbors. He retreated into his house to continue unpacking, muttering something about "reckless creative geniuses."
---
Time seemed to move in a blur of anticipation and nervous energy. The marketing campaign from Horizon Studios had been aggressive and intelligent. They had leaned heavily into the "Eccles Earthquake" narrative, using clips of the standing ovation and the rave reviews from critics like Oliver Grant.
The trailer had become a viral sensation, racking up millions of views across various platforms. The public was intrigued—a movie with no CGI, no stars, and no explosions was suddenly the hottest topic in cinema.
It was now the second morning after the film's official public release.
The "Miller Studios" team had finally moved into their newly rented office space in Burbank. It was a 2,500-square-foot suite in a professional building on a quiet street. The rent was $6,500 a month, a figure that made Tom's eye twitch every time he thought about it, but it was exactly what they needed. The space was still mostly empty—just a few desks, some high-end computers for Sarah and Benny, and a large "Studio Room" with a high ceiling that Daniel intended to use for table reads and rehearsals.
Currently, the entire core team was gathered in that studio room. The cast—Elias, Caleb, Leo, Victor, and the others—had arrived early, their faces a mix of hope and sheer terror. Sarah, Sam, and Benny were huddled near the back, clutching cups of coffee like life preservers.
Daniel had issued a strict rule: No social media. No checking the news. No looking at ticket-tracking sites until the official numbers come in.
It was a tactic to preserve their sanity. He knew that if they saw a single bad tweet or a slow morning report, the morale would crumble. He wanted them to face reality all at once—together.
The room was silent, save for the rhythmic, mechanical ticking of a singular wall clock Daniel had hung near the entrance. It felt like a heartbeat.
Tom stood at the front of the room, his hands shaking slightly as he manipulated a projector. The image was being beamed onto a large white wall. He was logged into two different browser tabs. One was a public-facing box office tracking site, and the other was the private "Horizon Partner Portal," which provided real-time, granular data on their film's performance.
"Okay," Tom whispered, his voice cracking. "I'm... I'm going to refresh the Horizon tab first. This is for the first full twenty-four hours of the wide release."
Elias Thorne, the veteran, stood with his arms crossed, his jaw set in a hard line. Caleb was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. Victor was tapping his foot so fast it sounded like a drumroll.
"Do it," Daniel said.
Daniel stood in the center of the room. He was the only one who didn't look like he was about to vomit. He looked calm—not arrogant, but possessed of an eerie, quiet certainty.
Tom clicked the refresh button.
The loading circle spun for a second that felt like a century. Then, the page snapped into focus. A large, bold number appeared at the top of the dashboard.
$1,784,920
The silence in the room became absolute. It was a heavy, suffocating silence. Everyone stared at the numbers, their brains struggling to process the math.
Tom's hand flew to his mouth. He quickly switched to the public box office site, which showed a slightly more rounded figure: $1.7 Million and Counting.
"One point seven..." Sarah whispered, her voice trembling. "In... in one day?"
"Our total budget was ninety thousand," Sam muttered, his eyes wide. "We... we made our budget back twenty times over in twenty-four hours?"
Tom turned around, his face pale. "Guys... this is insane. Usually, an indie movie like this is lucky to make fifty thousand on its opening day across five hundred screens. This means our per-screen average is... it's astronomical. People aren't just going to see it. They're packing the theaters."
Even with the money Horizon had spent on advertising—which was likely around a million dollars—the movie was already in the black. It was a massive, undeniable hit. If the movie continued at even half this pace for the rest of the week, it would be the most profitable independent film of the decade.
The silence held for one more second, and then the room exploded.
It wasn't a cheer; it was a roar of pure, emotional release. Victor grabbed Leo and started jumping up and down. Sam and Sarah hugged each other, both of them crying openly. Benny, the cynical, hard-edged sound mixer who usually had a complaint about everything, sat down on a folding chair and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
They had done it.
They were no longer "strugglers." They weren't the "nobodies" that the industry had rejected. They were the creators of a genuine success story. In the cutthroat world of Hollywood, where thousands of films are made and forgotten every year, they had achieved the impossible.
Elias Thorne walked over to Daniel. The older man's eyes were wet, but he had a look of profound dignity on his face. He didn't say anything; he just gripped Daniel's hand and squeezed it so hard it hurt. It was the handshake of a man who had finally seen his worth recognized.
Daniel looked around the room. He watched his team—his crew, his jurors—celebrating their victory. He saw the transformation in their faces. The fear was gone, replaced by a sense of belonging. They were officially a part of Hollywood's elite now.
Tom walked over to Daniel, his face glowing. "You knew, didn't you? You didn't look surprised at all."
Daniel looked at the projector screen, at the glowing numbers that were changing the lives of everyone in the room. "I believed in the work, Tom. I knew that if we caught the truth on that sensor, the audience wouldn't be able to look away. But seeing the numbers... it's a good start."
"A good start?" Tom laughed, wiping a tear from his cheek. "Dan, this is a landslide! Julian Vane is going to have a heart attack when he sees the trades tomorrow."
"Let him," Daniel said, his gaze turning toward the window, looking out at the Burbank skyline. "He's the past. We're the present."
In that empty, quiet office, amidst the tears and the shouts of joy, Miller Studios had truly been born. They had defied their fates. They had broken the rules. And as the singular wall clock continued to tick, it no longer sounded like a countdown to failure.
It sounded like the beginning of an empire.
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Author's Note: Here's a bonus chapter. You guy's didn't achieve the 10 reviews goal :(
But I wanted to spoil you nonetheless. Can we please reach 10 reviews :? It would help reach the fic to more people and actually show them a rating instead of a no rating fic. (Every fic with less than 10 ratings shows a no rating fic, which is 0 stars :d )
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Love you all, here's a kiss!
Now you gay :3