….
[Regal's Residence]
….
"Hey… you thought about what you are gonna do next?"
Regal didn't take his eyes off the screen. "Why do you suddenly sound like one of those journalists who corner me with a mic?"
"Don't be a jerk." Keanu shot back, thumb mashing buttons. "I am just asking. I mean, come on - I loved Spider-Man."
Regal flicked him a sidelong glance. "Okay, now you are creeping me out, man…"
Keanu smirked. "What? I can't appreciate good cinema without getting roasted for it?"
They were slouched on beanbags in Regal's house, controllers in hand, locked in one of their rare "dudes' gaming nights" - a fragile ceasefire from the chaos of their worlds.
It had been over half a year since they had managed a night like this - too many meetings, sets, and too many time zones in between.
And while it had already been ten days since [Spider-Man: Web of Destiny] began tearing through the box office, tonight's conversation wasn't supposed to be about that.
…well, it wasn't supposed to be - until now.
"Come on." Keanu said, leaning forward as his character dove behind cover. "You gotta give me something. What's next for the big genius?"
Regal didn't look away from the screen. "I don't know."
Keanu blinked, missing a beat on his controller. "Wait… what?"
"I said, I don't know." Regal repeated, a little sharper this time.
Keanu paused the game, setting his controller on his lap. "Hold up. You don't know? The same guy who once told me, with zero script, zero budget - that he would make a film with me and 'figure the rest out later'… is suddenly out of ideas?"
Regal smirked without looking over. "That doesn't sound like something I would say."
"Oh, it's exactly something you would, actually, something you did say." Keanu said, shaking his head with a laugh. "Now you are just pretending to be normal."
"It's true though." Regal let the controller rest on his lap. "I am… really unsure what to do as a creator right now."
"Alright, go on…" Keanu said, leaning back like a smug older brother. "Let this senior give you some advice."
Regal shot him a sideways look. "What, did Gwen pass her know-it-all gene onto you?"
"Don't dodge it."
"I am not."
"Then talk. What's actually spinning in that head of yours?"
Regal went quiet for a beat, staring at the controller in his hands. "Honestly… first thing, I want a break. Thinking about disappearing to Japan for a bit."
Keanu chuckled under his breath. "Right, and how long before that 'break' somehow turns into a secret project?"
"Maybe it will or maybe it won't." Regal's tone softened, drifting. "But after coming back… it gets messy. There is too much."
Keanu stayed quiet, letting him keep going.
"There is post-production on Chamber of Secrets. I probably need to start the fourth book soon. And I have been thinking… about expanding the Potter world - side stories, games, maybe even a theme park with Red Studio."
Yeah…
[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets] the second film, had already been deep in production for a while now.
Regal had seen a few rough-cut scenes, and they were coming along exactly as he had envisioned.
Chris Columbus… Regal had to admit, he hadn't been wrong to trust the man.
"And then there is [Iron Man] under MDC." Regal continued. "I have to finish the script, launch new comic lines… maybe even gather a core group of writers and fans to build a proper connected universe."
He huffed out a small laugh. "And on top of all that… my 'hobby' - the web novels. They are getting light novel and comic adaptations now. I want to push them into animation too. That would be… ridiculously fun."
Keanu gave a low whistle, leaning back with wide eyes. "Man. You are in deep shit."
Regal smirked faintly. "I know."
Keanu nodded slowly, though what he was really thinking was how he would never get used to the sheer scale of Regal's ambitions. No matter how many times he heard them, they still felt larger than life - like something out of fiction.
And somewhere behind that quiet nod, Keanu sighed inwardly.
Because he knew exactly what followed moments like this.
Regal was going to run himself into the ground again.
Very few people, maybe no one outside a tiny inner circle, knew what Regal put his body through after every release. There was a reason he vanished the moment a film hit theatres, leaving all the promotion to his team and actors.
The backlash of overwork always hits like a freight train: nights without sleep, that hollow-eyed fatigue, the soft clink of glucose bottles in his kitchen at two in the morning.
He had never collapsed.
Not yet.
But he was constantly dancing on that line.
To the public, he looked fine, he wore his sunglasses everywhere - on set, during interviews, even walking into a café, and people mistook it for arrogance.
There were whole articles calling it a 'quirk.'
But no one knew they were just hiding the dark circles.
Keanu finally set his controller down, the game still frozen on the pause screen, and studied him, really studied him, like he was seeing something the rest of the world couldn't.
"So… is there anything I can do?"
Regal's answer came soft, almost dismissive. "Nothing, really."
True. Because, somehow, Regal always knew where his limits were.
And when he reached them, he didn't push.
He simply vanished.
Without being dramatic and not a single complaint, just slipped away from everything until he steadied himself again.
Keanu remembered hearing about one of those times.
How Regal had jolted awake in the middle of the night - body ice-cold under the AC, skin damp with sweat, chest rising in sharp, shallow breaths.
It had scared him when he heard it, especially so for Seren.
But the doctors, after running every test they could, had only shrugged and said Regal was perfectly fine - physically, at least.
And yet… he was quietly grateful Regal knew when to stop.
Still, the doctors had been clear with their warnings: don't overwork yourself this often, and certainly take real breaks.
Right now, Regal is in his prime physically - which kept him from breaking down - but they always ended their reports the same way: it might not stay that way in the future.
"What? Did you get bored or something?" Regal asked suddenly, glancing over when Keanu's silence stretched too long.
Keanu blinked back to life, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. "Bored? With you? Not a chance."
"Then what - hoping I will cast you in one of these new films I am cooking up?"
"You know I would say yes before you even finish the sentence."
Regal narrowed his eyes playfully. "Hmm… Funny. You have been acting like you don't want to be in my films anymore."
"Hey now… are you doubting my loyalty?"
"Well…" Regal said dryly. "You haven't asked me to write something for you in a long time."
It was true.
As funny and quick of a remark as it was, Keanu had stopped asking Regal to write something for him, or to co-write something together.
Keanu exhaled slowly, resting the controller on his knee. "That's because I realized something… I like watching your work from the outside. No pressure, and expectations, just pure wonder. When I am in it, I can't see the magic, but when I am just another face in the theater, it's like… fuck. I get to be part of the audience again."
Regal tilted his head, considering that. "Fair enough. Just don't think you can keep dodging me forever."
"I am looking forward to it." Keanu smirked.
"You should better be - John Wick. Now stop talking and play, it's twenty-five wins to eleven on my side."
Keanu rolled his eyes, thumbing the resume button.
That nickname, John Wick, Regal had been tossing it around for years now, half-tease and half-compliment, though this time it lingered in Regal's mind a little longer than usual.
Because as the screen lit back up, so did a quiet thread of thought.
Two more projects to add to his list.
One was the same one he had just hinted at [John Wick].
…and the other, the chaotic storm of red and black that had been circling in his mind for a few days now - [Deadpool].
Both were real and as serious as others.
And as Keanu charged forward on-screen, Regal's mind wandered ahead, sketching outlines of futures he hadn't spoken aloud yet.
"Do you have to rub it every single time?"
"Hehe…"
"Stop with that smug smile."
"Heheee…"
"...Unbelievable."
"....."
The controllers clicked again, the screen flared back to life, and their laughter mingled with the electronic chaos as if the world outside their dim loft didn't exist for a while.
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
Author Note:
Visit Patreon to instantly access +1 chapter for free, available for Free Members as well.
For additional content please do support me and gain access to +13 more chapters.
--> [email protected]/OrgoWriters