I just got an idea, could you do a Crazy Ass Boys Gang reaction to finding out that the reader is a model.
crazy ass boys gang + reader is a model
billy loomis: He's so naturally possessive that his brain broke when he found out. It'll be worse if he found out from someone else and not you. He knows you're beautiful/handsome enough to be a model. He's just not crazy about you being plastered on magazine covers and billboards. You're his, not the world's. Still, he knows what fame tastes like (even though in his case it's more like infamy) and he'd never ask you to stop for him. He'll just pout if you do anything risqué. He likes to go to shoots with you so he can stand around and be your scary guard dog.
josh washington: Is completely fine with it. Knows that it doesn't change your relationship at all, so why should he care? Besides, now you have something new in common. You're both going to wind up in the entertainment industry (him as a director and you as a model)! If you weren't an Instagram model before, you could be one now with how many pictures he takes of you throughout the day. He just thinks you're so photogenic babe!
stu macher: Pervert. Immediately his brain goes to the raunchy and vulgar. Asks if you’ve done any nude photo shoots before. Give him a snarky reply like, "Yeah and all your buddies saw it." and watch how he is suddenly not so gung-ho about the concept. Now that you've opened his mind to the fact that other people are seeing you in various states of being sexy and desirable, he also goes to every single photo shoot. He hypes you up during them at least (by which I mean he is a distracting nuisance).
jd/jason dean: Does not like it, but you love it, so he tolerates it. He goes to all your shoots as well. He wanders around studios like a malicious shadow entity, daring anyone to admire you for too long. He also tags along to business events or parties. One day someone is going to like his intense dark look and want to take pictures of him. He'll only agree if you're part of the shoot as well, that way there's an industry trail of you being an item. It helps to soothe his territorial nature.
kevin khatchadourian: At first, he finds you typical just because of your good looks. Whether you’re entirely conventionally attractive or uniquely so you’re an irritant either way. Once he learns there’s more to you than meets the eye, he becomes possessive over your personhood. You’re not sure if Kevin loves you, but you know he wants to own you. You being a model, a public figure whose job is to be available for consumption, leaves him repulsed on his best day. He hates the way he has to hover over you in your day-to-day life. It erases any ambiguity about the way he feels for you. It’s hard to act superior and apathetic when you’re playing someone’s shadow, quietly seething as you hang on their arm and dare someone to try and charm them away.
nathan prescott: You're his muse, plain and simple. You met because the photography and modeling classes you were both part of collaborated on doing an assignment together, so he knew you were a model from the start. The pictures he takes of you are markedly not his usual style. There's still a darkness to them, but it's clear that whoever is behind the lens is fond of the person on the other end. He is surprisingly neutral and not jealous about you being a model. It’s the artist in him.
sebastian valmont: Has dated a sickening number of models before you so this is nothing new to him. He knows the ins and outs of the industry. If you need help advancing your career, he’s exactly who you need to be attached to. With his inheritance he’ll never have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to. Still, he’s too easily bored to do nothing. While he’s waiting to inherent his father’s many businesses, he’ll spend his days working as your manager. No one could take better care of you than him, after all.
david mccall: Pretends he’s okay with it but is not okay with it. He plays the role of supportive boyfriend like a professional though. You’d never know how he feels unless he gets fed up and drops the act. He comes to every shoot with you, every party, dinner, or lunch. You’re never left on your own. He can’t trust any of the sleazeballs in this industry. You’re so innocent. You’re not like any of these other people. You need to be protected. He’s basically your bodyguard and is very involved in your career. He puts his foot down and doesn’t let you do any naked or sultry partner shoots. It’s his one rule. Don’t ignore it.
A/N: if you enjoyed this fic consider reblogging, leaving a reply, or an anon! a writers fuel is engagement. if you really loved this, check out my PATREON: slasherscream, for some exclusive content. xoxoxo
Thought it would be fun to expand on the club members from one of my Danny Phantom Writing Prompts. I’m on the fence if I should write a fanfic or draw a comic to properly expand on this prompt. Which one would you be more interested to see?
I FINALLY FINISHED IT! AAAHHH! I had so much fun designing the astronomy club room. Now it’s time to finally write something for the prompt!
Micheal:
Position- Vice President
Ethnicity- Native American
Relationship Status- Single
Grade 11th- Junior
Aesthetic- Celestial Spacecore
Aspiring Profession- Space Historian
Fun facts:
- Believes all the ghost activity in Amity Park is actually alien as he doesn’t believe in ghosts.
- He is Navajo
- Is a totally ready to talk about aliens with anyone.
- Totally experiences pretty privilege because of the amount of girls who are willing to listen to his ramblings.
- Prefers Star Trek over Star Wars.
- His uncle has land in Arizona that he always goes to visit during the summer to experience UFO sightings. Is totally down to bring everyone along so they can all make their findings more believable.
- Danny doesn’t have the heart to tell him these ‘alien sightings’ in Arizona are Cowboy Ghosts.
- Doesn’t want to date anyone in Amity Park, so is waiting until college to properly look for a boyfriend.
Caitlyn:
Position- President
Ethnicity- Biracial: Filipino/White
Relationship Status- Taken
Grade 11th- Junior
Aesthetic- Whimsigoth
Aspiring Profession- Uranographer
Fun facts:
- So many people assume she’s into astrology that she learned about it just to annoy people enough to leave her alone, but ended up really liking it and does birth charts for a decent income.
- Has an older sister, Erika, who did something similar: She learned about Christianity to ward off perverts but ended up really resonating with the religion. Erika is currently in college to become a nun.
- Doesn’t care about Star Wars or Star Trek.
- Has the voice of a trumpet.
- Is dating the former Quarterback of Casper High, Ryan White, who is away at college.
- Yes, she does carry around biodegradability golden glitter in her pockets just to toss around for pizzazz/surprise diversion.
- Blob ghosts always try to attach to her whenever they get the chance for some reason.
- The reason is because she’s a type of liminal: a psychic to be exact. Blob ghosts are naturally drawn to her because they can sense her energy- they want to become a part of her. No, she doesn’t have special abilities beyond naturally seeing ghosts without Danny’s influence and naturally being protected from mind-control.
- This is how Danny finds out he unintentionally made the entire City of Amity Park psychics, thus making ghost activity even more prevalent. Vlad moving to Amity Park just makes Amity Park more noticeable to stronger entity's. This is why ghosts are still not believed despite the amount of ‘proof’ Amity Park citizens post online/new reports about it.
Robbie:
Position- Secretary/Treasurer
Ethnicity- Irish
Relationship Status- Taken?(context below)
Grade 10th- Sophomore
Aesthetic- Casual Spacecore
Aspiring Profession- Chemical Engineering
Fun Facts:
- Always working on a model rocket he consume builds himself.
- Cherishes the shirt Becca helped him design.
- Prefers Star Wars over Star Trek
- Gets into a lot of conflict with his teachers because he doesn’t solve his assignments the way they teach it, but still gets it right.
- Is the main reason Danny was able to raise his grades easily as Robbie is able to explain it in simply(Sam, Tucker, and Jazz can only explain things academically).
- He’s happy Danny joined the club as he isn’t the only white boy anymore.
- He’s frequently takes girls from Casper High’s rival school out on dates, but he’s very clear he doesn’t want anything serious.
- Bonfires/star gazing is usually done at his house as far enough to where he doesn’t worry about light pollution.
- He does everything in his power to keep the club busy as to not be harassed to join basketball/any other sport.
Becca:
Position- Member
Ethnicity- Nigerian
Relationship Status- Single
Grade 9th- Freshman
Aesthetic- Casual Goblincore
Aspiring Profession- Astrobotany
Fun Facts:
- Her Dad, Mr. Ringler, is the club’s sponsor.
- Knows how to do embroidery and usually puts mushrooms/celestial designs on her plain clothing.
- Regrets helping Robbie design his favorite shirt(but is happy he likes it so much).
- She is always in the club room as it’s her safe space/she likes spending time with her Dad.
- She points out to Danny how their grade is ‘the cringe of the school’. Becca is always hangs out with upperclassmen, thus why Danny never noticed her before.
- Danny can’t unseen it.
- She grows mushrooms in the club room, amethyst mushrooms to be exact.
- She plants little mushroom figurines(which she makes) wherever she goes just because she can.
- Becca is the last to warm up to Danny joining the club, but customizes him a jacket once she’s finally comfortable with having him around.
If you’re anything like me (an aro-ace nonbinary person), you may feel disconnected from mythological figures from our world because the cultures they come from don’t have the same terms we use today. So, like me, you may have turned to pop culture entities to see yourself in.
In-Game Lore
In the Morrowind game, Crassius Curio flirts with the Nerevarine regardless of their gender.
In Oblivion, a lot of characters have the in-game models of one gender but are referred to with the other set of pronouns in-game, like City-Swimmer, Deetsan, Dumag gro-Bonk (who was originally designed as a woman but was changed into a man and also flirts with the Hero of Kvatch regardless of their gender), and Mach-Na.
This "different model to pronouns" thing also follows through to Skyrim, with Ilas-Tei. Marriage-eligible characters in this game can be married regardless of whatever genders the character and the Last Dragonborn are. Similarly, Serana lightly flirts with the Last Dragonborn regardless of gender.
In Online, Alchemy is a canon trans woman and Snaehild is also trans (just not explicitly so). The characters Cres and Gazmod the Collector are referred to by they/them pronouns exclusively. Online also features many gay, lesbian, bi- or pansexual characters, including at least two poly relationships.
Some of the Aedra vary in gender presentation in stories across various pantheons.
Khenarthi, the Khajiiti deity of the winds and sky (possibly also Kynareth, Kyne, and Kin) is referred to by both he/him and she/her.
Tava, the Lady of the Air, the Bird God, and the aspect of Kynareth in the Redguard Pantheon, is also sometimes referred to as he/him instead of she/her.
Y'ffre, aka Jephre (Aldmeri) or Y'ffer (Khajiiti), is the Bosmeri spirit of the "now" and is variously referred to as male and female.
The Daedric Princes are beyond mortal comprehensions of "gender" altogether but usually pick just one to present as, but there are exceptions.
Boethiah uses both he/him and she/her across different games, but when talking about her relationship with Mephala, Boethiah is only ever referred to with she/her pronouns.
Malacath is typically depicted as a man but appeared in a novel as an Altmer woman as a disguise.
Mephala is literally called the "Androgyne" and referred to as both a man and a woman, but when talking about her relationship with Boethiah, Mephala is only ever referred to with she/her pronouns.
Molag Bal is usually referred to with he/him pronouns but is referred to with she/her pronouns in the book Invocation of Azura by Sigillah Parate.
Additionally, Vivec is intersexed and usually referred to with he/him pronouns, but sometimes she/her is used. He is also described as being able to take on a female form.
Argonians can change their entire being via the Hist, up to and including gender. Their gender presentation is assigned based on how much they lick the Hist tree as adolescents, but many change genders later in their lives.
Pop Culture Witchcraft
As with a lot of deities, you could probably invoke an Aedra or Daedra for help in a gender-affirmation spell (or a same-sex love spell with the help of Boethiah and Mephala).
Dragon Shouts can also be crafted to help with gender dysphoria, confidence in who you want to be, help with coming out, stuff like that. I've even crafted two of my own, which I will link in the sources.
Anything you can think that includes magic and an element of yourself can be altered to include your identity, if you so wish for it to be there.
Sources
"General: Gender and Sexual Diversity" on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/General:Gender_and_Sexual_Diversity
"LGBTQ+" on the Elder Scrolls Wiki: https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/LGBTQ%2B
"Invocation of Azura" by Sigillah Parate (an in-game author), reformatted by myself with a little commentary: https://the-college-of-whispers.tumblr.com/post/662061066016227328/invocation-of-azura
"Transmasc & Transfem Body Dysphoria Relief Shouts" by @the-college-of-whispers on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666248602641891328
The queer section tag on my personal online grimoire, @jasper-grimoire: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/tagged/section%3A-queer
-Pretty much everything about him is pretty standard, including him being your regular man. Flaws and all. Oddly enough he isn't that truly complicated as an individual, after all, all mankind IS mostly modeled after him and few other gods.
-As he and the others were assigned their devine positions, he started taking up attributes of the sky and his own consignated animal the eagle, like feathers instead of hair, incredible eyesight and a tendency to create electricity with excessive movement or emotional outbursts. He's towering and under his more comfortable toga he's fucking BUILT.
-He's a rather decent father by ancient Greek standards, yes almost everything he has done according to mortal men have happened. Of course his own children weren't going to argue against him. However, he always has his offspring and so on in mind. He tries to interact with his children in meaningful ways as much as he can or want, regardless he isn't a forgetful man....just a 'busy' one.
-In spite of his powerful and stern demeanor, he is always constantly at odds with his own inner demons. He's ALWAYS questioning his past actions, he laments his terrible and questionable decision he had ever impulsively but he does take up the traditional mantle of "masculine density" and rarely shows his emotions. When he does show his emotions, it's either heartbreaking or a loud storm targeting said source of destress.
-He deeply loves Hera in every sense of the word, but he has "such a big heart he can't just keep it to himself", quote Zeus. Regardless, he still acts on his impulses and is the root of all his problems. Legend has it, his very essence accidentally created King Henry the 8th and many other historical heartbreakers.
-In spite of making up many of the rules of humanity (with extra help of the rest of his siblings), human mortals have always had a terrible habit of breaking these rules. Zeus has made so.many of these rules that he's just stop keeping up with keeping mortals in place. He just kind of let's things happen. At this point of his existence, his only concern now is to make sure other gods are following their rules.
-He HATES child sacrifices. Mostly because when a living thing gets sacrificed it comes in flesh and blood directly to the land of the gods. So naturally, there is a complete population of "ascended" mortals and animals in Olypmus....and he already has his hands full. Plus he just doesn't like the principal of it all. He genuinely hates children getting hurt in the first place.
-HIS list of enemies is a kilometer long. It includes everything that's a titan, some of his own children (and grandchildren), Hera to a very small extent and Hades.....even though there has been literally NOTHING that has proven Hades is a threat to him.
-The main reason why Zeus adamantly believes that Hades is out to get him is because of HOW he assigned Hades to be god of the underworld..... basically, he asked Hades to check a dark cave.....and closed the cave entrence while he and Poseidon ran off. Hades ironically doesn't care about this and has no real intensions of taking revenge on Zeus for anything, the fact Zeus haphazardly gave him a wife and lives in constant paranoia gives him solence.
-He is extremely defensive of Hermes and Dionysus. Inspite of his claim of loving all his offspring equally, he feels a deeper connection to Hermes considering that he was to be considered the "prodigal usurper" before Dionysus, meanwhile Dionysus is his youngest son with the most responsibility for a god so naturally he's going to keep a closer eye on both just a little bit more. In terms of familiar respect, Athena and Apollo are tied as his most "important" children.
-After Athena's birth, Zeus's mental fortitude, better judgement and intellectual integrity has completely been capped. He constantly has headaches, tends to make terrible decisions, tends to be forgetful, and goes through terrible flashbacks to anything that can come to mind. He still loves and respects his daughter but he has to admit her very presence gives his a headache. It's rumored that his brain is 2/5ths of what it use to be.
-He has no control over Hera and never will. After several take overs, a very nasty scroll call from Nyx for threatening to harm Hypnos, and having several lovers killed by her, he's completely decided that fighting her or arguing with her. He would still end all.of existence for her.
-The only entities he truly fears is Nyx, Gaia and Aphrodite. Nyx being a more intimidating foe of his, Gaia being his own grandmother and Aphrodite being a she-titan who for reason decided it was cash-money as fuck to just take residence in Olypmus.....that....and a good small chunk of his afairs were caused by her and her son Eros.
-He STILL has no idea how Heracles inherited his THICCNESS. He may consider himself thicc but Heracles couldn't have gotten from him.
-He adores all his followers and considers them worthy of answering their prayers.... Except for one. Lycaon.
-He loves giving Hera pet names but due to her burning anger towards him, she won't let him....even though she loves the pet names he gives her.
-He has many professional relationships and alliances with other gods. However he has had a long on-going distrust of the Sumerian gods. He just finds them to be a little too private in comparison to the rest of his fellow gods. That and he's actually jealous of their near perfect beards. His beard tends to sprout stray down feathers.
Hera:
-She was assigned to be the goddess of marriage and the household, however, she has assigned herself as the goddess of the mind, heart and soul. Because as it turns out, she causes more boughts of madness more than Eris and Dionysus combined. She also controls female intuition and matters of personal strength. She's the force that helps feel when something isn't right or when you feel like you need to do something important wether being benign or malignant. She basically IS your emotional support mom/aunt, but she controls you and your emotions. However she actually uses this ability in moderation.
-She is considered as "Step-Mom" by most of Zeus's out of wedlock offspring. She's always extremely shrewed, vindictive and most of the time outright nasty....but that's about it. She will attempt to get you once or twice but if she senses that it could be a massive waste of her time than she'll just make your life a smig shittier. However, she not an "evil" step mom, more of a step mom who has to get use to her step-children, it will take some work for both parties but deep down she's just angry at Zeus.
-She hates Zeus's children, but she isn't heartless, quite the opposite, children are children in her mind regardless if it's hers or not. She'll make it hard for you but if you ask her for help or ask her in the right manner, she will be delighted to help.
-She is your quintessential woman, she loves jewels, the finer things in life, small animals (especially birds) and she can be either the sweetest or the meanest. After all, like Zeus who created MAN, she created WOMAN. Legend has it she actually let the rest of the gods collaborate as a way to make them feel better. Or at least that's how she puts it, turns out Hermes and Aphrodite made a deal to make more like "them" than Hera intended. While MAN was built pretty close to Zeus's intended design, WOMAN was designed with Aphrodite's beauty and tender nature, while Hermes gave "a dirty mind" much like how MAN were given. Basically WOMAN and MAN are completely equal in everyway regardless of "differences".
-Shes also adopted some inhuman attributes, she grows feathers on some portions of her hair, she feels insecure about them but Zeus adores this because it reminds him that's birds mate for life. Her feathers look more like feathers of a peahen and seamlessly blends with her hair.
-Her ONLY desire is for Zeus to stop cheating on her. She literally wants nothing more. That, and for Dionysus and Apollo to stop steal her dresses for their own endeavors.
-She loves her biological children and their offspring but somehow they keep disappointing her. Ares loves a woman who cheats on Hephaestus and Hebe is in love with the son of the woman who Zeus cheated with. She believes it's karma but at the same time she couldn't be less surprised.
-She loves Hephaestus, but due to his limped leg and his more rugged appearance, she barely tolerates looking at him. Which is strange because Hephaestus heavily resembles Zeus.
-She knows the truth about Erichthonius. He's also her favorite grandson. She has her eye on almost everything, she actually saw the whole drama between Athena and Hephaestus. At first she wanted to intervene but after she noticed this consummated a child and saw how Athena took initiative to take care of the child regardless of her chastity, it gained a little more respect for Athena. Being raised to be a wise young man by Athena and being Hephaestus's biological son, Erichthonius has been secretly considered the most successful grandchild to her.
-Her favorite animals are birds, Zeus as a webbing present gave her the chance to create birds. Thanks to her, the skies are filled with songs.
-She doesn't have a lot of enemies, however, Aphrodite is a big contender against her. While Hera controls the integrity of women, Aphrodite controls their emotional and sexual impulses. So Hera is at constent odd against her...that...and the main reason why Hera married her off to Hephaestus because she wanted to make amends to him....not make his life anymore worse than it already is.
-Hera is aware how most of Zeus's children feel about her, but she appreciates it dearly when one of them does something nice for her....even though she probably demanded it or care for it.
Poseidon and Amphitrite:
-Hes absolutly BOMBASTIC. He's the most carefree of his brothers, most physically fit and considered the most handsome.
-His marriage is ironically WORSE than Zeus's, but he and Amphitrite consensually agreed to pretend nothing is wrong.... apparently it works like a charm and they barely fight. However this is considered a massively concerning situation to Zeus and Hera because the both of them know that a relationship that doesn't regularly express their grievances...often end sour.
-Like his siblings, he's adopted physical attributes that correspond to their environment. Apparently, he has grown gills, his 'beard' is actually octopus tentacles and he has scales in certain places. He can shapeshift into many aquatic creatures.
-Unlike his brothers, his offspring are genetic tossups. One can look relatively ok, another can be a cyclops for no reason. His most famous child is Triton, but the poor lad is a rather simple and humble young mad who has very little aspersions in life. Poseidon tries to encourage him to do something productive but Triton just sort of falls below average in popularity.
- He's the best horseman in all of Greece, in fact his love for horses only rivals his love for literally trying to destroy humanity and his wife.
-He has a love/hate relationship with his nephews. However if you would ask him which nephew he dislikes the most, it would be Dionysus. Oddly enough, Dionysus actually likes to antagonize Poseidon, mostly because he's actually more strict than his dad. It wasn't until the invention of the dolphin that made Dionysus's and Poseidon's relationship between each other a little better. Poseidon has a less innocent hatred for Athena, after losing patronship over Athens, he's sworn vengeance over her. However it's more akin to sending really annoying Facebook messages rather than epic natural disasters. Once a year, he enjoys terrorizing Athens through changing the spring water to saltwater for a few days, make all the horses aggressive and give "oddly constent" tremors.
-If it wasn't for Zeus proposing to Hera first, he would have married her instead. Even though the two had married different people, it always seemed the two had a very interesting chemistry.
- Even though there may be a serious discourse on who it's Theseus's father. The reality is Poseidon doesn't actually want to claim Theseus as his own for mysterious reasons.
-He never sent a different bull to Minos, Poseidon took the form of a bull and cursed Pasiphaë. This was the first account of a god that WASN'T Aphrodite and Eros to have caused someone to be sexually attracted by magic. This has been a family secret between the big 6 for years because if any other gods found out they could just will people's passion, the world be in a state of pure chaos. Poseidon however has an even dirtier secret, he didn't use his godly powers on Pasiphaë, instead he just found a way to get her specifically attracted to him in bull form by using an old recipe for an aphrodisiac from the sunken city of Atlantis. He doesn't tell the truth about this because he's an asshole that way. He finds it more useful to have the other gods believing he had something in reality he didn't have.
- He has a fun hobby of naming his horses the most adorable and somewhat random names, like "Peach Basket", "TootsieFoot" and ect. It ended up being a traditional way of naming race horses in racing derbies.
- He has absolutly no love for humans. He enjoys that mortals worship him and such but the fact he has an entire ocean at his and his wife's disposal, he honestly feels that he has very little need for mortal worshippers....at least this is what he originally thought until his power was contested by an ocean god named Dagon. Long story short, Poseidon no longer takes mortals for granted anymore....and likely never will.
- Poseidon is Olypmus's most prolific warden, like Hades, Poseidon has his own prisoners of war. Most of them being titans, monsters, giants and occasionally malignant gods. It's even argued that he's a much more strict jailer considering being sealed away by Poseidon is a death sentence.
-His greatest pleasure is people enjoying themselves in water in positive ways. Swimming, playing games, and gently interacting with marine animals. However his greatest distain comes from mortals misusing his ocean.
- He has a professional relationship with mostly other Greek water gods and anything related to water. He monitors the water nymphs, consoles all horse-like beasts and so on and so forth.
- She has equal control of the ocean just like her husband. In fact, she has equal control of half of everything Poseidon has. Apparently this is what helps their marriage and it almost makes up for Poseidon's eccentric behaviors.
- Not much is known about her, but based on her interactions, she's a lot more nicer and more gentle than Poseidon when it comes to leadership. She's generous, eccentrically fabulous and has the same energy of a 1920's rich hamptons housewife.
-Shes genuine friends with all of the goddesses and she rarely plays on a specific team. She's a bizzarly lucid gal who loves to lend a shoulder to cry on.
-She and only she has the semi-chaotic energy to tolerate Poseidon and his afairs.
- If Poseidon wants to do something, he would HAVE to ask Amphitrite for permission. After all it isn't "Your side, your rules", it's a partnership between a married couple.
Demeter:
- Controlling over the domain of the earth and harvest, you'll always see some type of vegetation growing on her. It mostly appears as if she fashionably placed strands of wheat grain, fruit flowers and leaves inductive of the season. She and Hestia are the only ones of the big six who don't have animal based attributes. Demeter is also the tallest of the sisters.
-Her input in important matters usually revolve around conservation, providing sustenance and extra maternal perspective. It's contestant as well that she can even be more motherly than Hera, even at her most grim demeanor.
-She is a loving and doting mother. She's the most gentle of the goddesses and yet she can be just as harsh when she needed to.
-She consideres the earth her personal garden, but she shares it with world. Her favorite activity is to create new and exciting plants with Persephone (Or Kore as she prefers to call Persephone) and spending time with her.
-She has other offspring but she doesn't make a fuss about their fathers and their lack of presence. As long as she can keep all of them safe, it's all she needs and cares about.
- Demeter can easily put everyone in Olypmus to their knees. The gods and by extension mortals all have to depend on her and her harvests. When Persephone was taken, she placed all the whole of Greece in a state of famine.
- She use to love and trust Hades, but after he had haphazardly taken Persephone away, all that changed. She keeps a serious eye on Hades since than and has a deep resentment for him and his actions. She barely acknowledges him when he's present but she's still cordial. After a few years however, her attitudes towards him mellowed seeing how Persephone looks forward to seeing Hades every winter.
- She would have married Zeus if his eyes weren't set on Hera. Like Poseidon and Hera, there has been speculation that he and Demeter would have been a better married couple considering both of their personalities would have complimented each other. But that belongs in the "stray line".
-Being the goddess of the harvest, she mostly tends to the matters of farmers and gardeners. By extension, she has an extremely healthy relationship with other vegetation gods, especially Dionysus. Whom oddly enough is treated more like an adopted son rather than a nephew.
- She adores all of her nieces and nephews equally, mostly because she sees that all of them have utilized her gifts to the world in the proper manner. She adores the Bois, because each other of them represents an important value in cultivation.
-She tends to be an anxious woman, and at worst a worrywart. However, she always tries to keep a level head when she desperately needs it.
-She loves animals just as much as she does plants. She in fact helped console in the creation of everything based on how things could tend to themselves without the intervention of the gods. Her ingenuity help give rise to what is considered the concept of the circle of life and the food chain.
-She has an amazing connection between her sisters, prior to being assigned their domains, the three of them would often play with each other and stay close to their mother Rhea. The brothers would always be rummaging around the place and would often tease their sisters.
Hestia:
- The eldest and most lackadaisical sister, she's the more tomboyish of the sisters and loves to rough house.
-She has dark hair with ember roots, the brightness of which increases with emotions. Her physical attributes is her hair always looking alive with flames and being able to increase the temperature in her body.
-Shes a stocky, jolly woman who loves to work in the kitchen whip up something special. She's mostly known for her amazing recipes and her staff of Vestals. She may not keep herself up to the standards of her sisters, but she sees beauty in herself just the way she is.
-The Vestals in her domain are sadly those who "failed to keep the sacred fire lit", that must be sacrificed to the flame. Hestia dispises this punishment, but sadly it seems rarely any of her so-called priests listen to her. Everytime when she receives a vestal, she welcomes them with open arms, a big warm hug and a heartfelt apology for thier suffering. She than mentors them in the ways of the hearth, the real ways straight from the source.
- Like Demeter, she has a massive soft spot for her nieces and nephews. Dionysus again seemingly being the common favorite due to his fun loving personality and his contributions. In a strange sense, as a gift for finally proving himself worthy of a seat in Olypmus, she gave him her own. Hephaestus is another favorite of hers. She often times invites Hephaestus to her domain to have a chat, she often feels for him and tries her best to give him his over due affections in the form of baked goods, interesting items she has been gifted through the hearth and such.
-She isn't a political person to begin with, what one does with their business is their own in her mind. So when she gets called up to converse in such matters, she either stays out of it or she determines herself if it's worth her time.
- She has a mild aversion to water. Poseidon often teases her by flicking a small splash of water, but it just peeves her a little. Mostly because water droplets just sizzle on her and it feels like a little lactic acid itch to her. If someone were to have dumped water on her, it would be feel like as if some dunked boiling water with itching powder on you. She always feels warm so she tends to """cool""" herself down with molten magma or bonfire. When she enters flames, it can depend on where it came from; underworld fire often feels like stepping into one of Costco's Freezers for a little bit and normal earthly flames feeling like a little cool breeze to her.
- She has the most communication between her and her worshippers out of any god. So I. Truth, it's actually easy to envoke her through flames and hearthing.
-She isn't just a goddess of the hearth, she's also the goddess of cooks, bakers, female blacksmiths or the wives of blacksmiths, and glassblowers. Thus she has an extremely healthy relationship with Hephaestus.
-The reason why she chose to be a virgin is actually a simple reason. While Artemis represents chasity for childhood innocence and Athena represents chasity for matters of country and country men, Hestia's chasity is all about personal choice and freedom. Why have children of her own when her vestals are basically her own children, she feels love and responsibility for each of them. The reality is she's not into men, in fact if she wanted to relinquish her chastity, she would want a loving wife. But she isn't interested in marriage or a relationship either. She's as she puts it "far too free for anyone". So in truth, she represents freedom of choice and the firing passion that comes with compassion.
Hades:
-He's what you'd expect from someone who lives most of his life in the underworld yet at the same time not. He's tall, pale, has jet black slicked hair, extremely eloquent and distinguishing. He always trails low hanging mist, seemingly gliding throughout, his eyes glow a warm yellow and speaks in a soft but booming voice. He's not as muscular as his brothers, but he is rather dashing.
-He's more akin to being a classical depiction of a gentleman vampire than a god. Due to his occupation, he's developed a very professional disposition. He greets, guides and consoles the dead. At first he might seems intimidating and even at times callous, but he has your best interests at heart and is a fair ruler. Oddly enough if it wasn't for his aesthetic and his reputation of being ruler of the underworld, he would probably be more comparable to an Arthurian ruler.
-Out of all his siblings, he's the least problematic. He keeps to himself so often that it could be YEARS before anyone would hear from him.
-He's a dedicated and simple man of business, and he takes his job very seriously with a healthy amount of exceptions.
-The "reality" of his chance encounter with Persephone was actually before her kidnapping. He met her while taking a chariot ride and had a passing conversation with her, completely unaware she was Demeter's daughter. After coming back to the underworld, his minions found a bizzare type of mold growing deep in Tartarus that consumed souls. In a panicked state, he than kidnapped Persephone in the hopes she would help the situation, she was glad to be of service and was escorted back to earth. After such a strange ordeal, the two of them kept meeting in secret until Persephone decided to stay with Hades for an extended amount of time. After consuming the food of the underworld by mistake, the story starts returns back to the original.
-He doesn't have much of an opinion on his nieces and nephews. He enjoys Hermes's equally hardworking personality and friendly disposition, he's had Apollo make occasional appearances to give Tartarus some form sunlight, he seems to tolerate Dionysus's slacker behavior but he seems have a very strange connection to Dionysus on a "spiritual" level. However he has extremely low patients for Ares. He isn't too fond of him due to the fact the Ares makes his job a lot for tenuous when wars breakout and his occasional sneaking around the underworld to bother the other chthonic gods.
-He may rule over the underworld, but he's not THEE ruler. He's sort of the equivalent to a king in comparison to Nyx, who is more of an empress. By extension, the ruling regions of the underworld organized rather similarly to a medieval monarchy. Thus creating what the Christians assume is how hell looks and functions like in The Discoverie of Witchcraft, The Book of Spirits, Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, The Lesser Key of Solomon, and Dictionnaire Infernal. Surprisingly, Tartarus actually has nothing to do with anything that the book has to offer.
- The Elysian Fields were created for two very interesting reasons, it was a gift to Persephone for her to feel more comfortable in the underworld and a safe place for those who didn't fit in purgatory or the deeper part of Tartarus. In fact Persephone rules over the fields while Hades rules over the rest.
-When he was first given Cerberus as a pup, Cerberus was dark grey covered in little black spots. As he grew older, Cerberus's fur became darker to a solid black. Ironically, Hades believed Cerberus was going to be spotted throughout his life.
-He unfortunately has no offspring of his own, but he and Persephone isn't above adopting either. Much like Hestia, Hades has a surprising amount of apprentices, apostles and proteges that all are adopted lost souls. Many of them ranging in different ages and such. Charon kept mentioning there had been a small gathering of child wraiths at the banks of the Styx. Apparently many of them being abandoned children who's parents never gave Obolus Obviously, Hades had to make an exception, obviously he wasn't going to let orphaned children fend for themselves in the banks of Styx, so....he now has many wonderful and rambunctious ghost children simply living out there time.
-He's literally the richest god. He didn't expect to accidentally inherit the Earth's worth in wealth. Apparently, there's an on going joke that Gaia gave this wealth to Hades as a form of revenge against Zeus and Poseidon. That....and Gaia actually likes Hades more.
-Zeus and Poseidon were, are and forever regretful that Hades rules the underworld basically hoarding wealth like some posh dragon. Ironically, Hades has 0 idea that he actually owns any of the wealth, that's right, he literally doesn't know anything about the precious metals, gems and such. He assumes his wealth comes from the sheer real estate and number of souls collects. If you ever found out about his incredible amount of monetary control, he probably wouldn't have any idea what to do with it.
-Hades has a professional relationship with Nyx, however, Nyx has decided he's an "adopted neighbor husband". She's extremely affectionate to him as if she was married to him. Hades however, is a dedicated husband and tries him best to make it clear that they're friendly neighbors and not by any means lovers. She doesn't care and still treats him as such. He doesn't know why but all he knows is that she is a powerful, primordial super goddess who lives in the underworld with him. Another ex-lover of Hades was Minthe, who in truth barley added anything for Hades in terms of a meaningful relationship, it was mostly just a lover's affair. After some time, Hades figured that his time was better spent working. After he married Persephone, Minthe attempted to take her revenge by trying seduce Hades back.....let's just say Persephone left her a little green.
Summary: You are in charge of programming the droids that work most closely with both General Hux and Kylo Ren. Unbeknownst to you, each of these two men have it in their heads that your relationship extends beyond the workplace. This causes things to escalate quickly when your two apparently secret boyfriends compare notes on their respective partner who is far too similar for their liking.
Read on AO3
Chapter Warnings: handjob; blowjob (depends on the route)
Side Notes: Contains all three routes, divided by breaks
Error: Program Not Found
“Choose your love, love your choice.” - Thomas S. Monson
Seventeen: Choice
[Kylo Route]
It was partially a strategic move that encouraged you to have TeeArr accompany you to the presentation. The ability to demonstrate how some of his basic functions could assist the droid lines you were proposing when coupled with medical droid programming meant that visuals eliminated the need for verbal explanation that would have otherwise eaten into your time. His physical design likewise acted as a visual aid for what materials would be required and why the droids would hold enough merit in the long run to justify the expenses. To fully train another officer or even stormtrooper, it would require more resources. Plus the droids were reusable, cheaper to fix than what basic training for an officer required. Each droid could theoretically care for three officers and/or stormtroopers at a time depending on the severity of the injuries and the physical therapy required. As for the anti-procrastination droids, those could very well handle simple tasks simultaneous to encouraging multiple officers as well.
While the room was reacting mostly favorably to your proposal, there were questions that revealed what portions they had tuned out--at times this was due to natural sentient behavior of hyperfocusing too much on one’s own inquiries that they missed the answer that was given when it came up. You inwardly grumbled, however outwardly you maintained your composure and repeated what you had said. For questions that had not previously been answered, you appreciated that not one of your superiors spoke with animosity, slight or fully displayed. There was a guardedness, however, that hinted at an agenda you would soon learn.
“Should this be officially approved, I must inform you that it would be a secondary project,” the highest ranking officer in the room stated. You held your breath for a beat, nodded, and exhaled without bringing notice to the fact that you had struggled to maintain your composure. This was not catching you off-guard; you were simply concerned that its lower priority level would encourage a future change of hands--as in, you being removed from the project aside from your name being attached. You had prepared for this, had been rehearsing both in your head and with Aelin as a sounding board, what to say in such circumstances. It was that you helped design droids along with programming them that had brought the First Order’s attention on you to begin with. Designing droids as freely as you wished to was expensive. You did not want to bite the hand that fed, namely not if the situation did not call for it.
You, for the time being, held your tongue and listened. While various models of assassination droids existed in the galaxy, the one that you had outlined while speaking with the senator had not been in production by any entities yet known. Presently the First Order had to work in the shadows, which meant that the usefulness of such an assassination droid was increased. The senator being aware of it, along with this advisors who were clearly seeking methods of using the information to their advantage, not acting on the design would be to the detriment of the First Order.
For security reasons the First Order wanted to keep the team assigned to this project small. They were allowing your other project, therefore, to contain more members; it was not off the table to create two teams for the project that you were proposing since they could be viewed as two separate droid projects entirely despite the similarities. It was flattering, yet it was also prematurely showing their cards--that there was, in fact, a willingness to pull you off the projects at a moment’s notice. Or without one, you mused. Should you object to these stipulations, you risked having your project denied completely.
Thank you, Aelin, you thought, holding back a grin. “I would maintain final say and have access to these projects, correct?” You noticed one of the members opening their mouths to speak, and quickly continued so that you would not technically be cutting them off as they talked. “I do not want only my name on the project. Beyond the programming, this is my design. Future generations, I am willing to budge on, and I will not be unreasonable and thus risk the success of the TR8-0R series.” You had to take charge while stepping on as few toes as possible.
TeeArr turned his head to consider you. “The TR8-0R series could best learn to function undercover by blending in with the anti-procrastination and physical therapy droids.” You blinked. “You stated as much before.” You had, which is why it caught you off-guard that you had not thought to use that point to help argue your case. Stars, you adored TeeArr. This addition would assist in you having easier access to your proposed project even while prioritizing the TR8-0R series.
You gestured to TeeArr. “As well as mimic TeeArr’s functions. Allowing me to properly view how versatile I can make them so that the First Order is best able to wield them while they are undercover. Potentially gaining more information from the target prior to elimination.”
“Indeed,” a female officer said, her head bobbing twice as her eyes locked with another superior officer’s. “The risk of team members learning about the functions of the TR8-0R series is increased.”
“True,” you concurred. “Yet the blending would not occur until later in the project, at which point we can reduce the team size entirely, merging together those with the proper clearance level--and those you approve of, of course.” You paused for breath and to check the expressions of those gathered. They were receptive to your words. “Since the physical bodies would be the same or near-identical aside from any modifications for weaponry--I still need to fine tune those details, and having a team specifically for this project will greatly assist in this--I would be able to oversee everything easily. The designs for the bodies are mostly finished, therefore my attention will be predominately on the TR8-0R project with minimal distractions.”
One of the officers began composing a message on his datapad. A few seconds afterwards all the other datapads in the room with the exception of yours chimed. It was frustrating to be treated this way, to be aware that you were being discussed without knowing fully what was stated or the tone that was being used. You could not defend yourself. There was a high chance that there was nothing that required you to defend yourself. That could instead be a necessity in the future after they agreed to these terms by stating to one another they were merely temporary. It would not be a lie, and it would get the ball rolling. That was all you could ask for.
After another few minutes of messages being exchanged, the officer that had sent the initial one looked directly at you. “This is agreeable, although to ensure that the First Order’s goals are met and remain a priority, there will be periodic meetings, and from you we require weekly reports.” That was not anything you were opposed to. You readily agreed. Aelin would not be opposed to running through hypothetical scenarios for future meetings with you just as he had with this one. With that, you would continue to have what could pass as an upper hand on matters.
Once you were dismissed and had exited the room, you sent a quick message to Aelin and then one to Eddard to inform them that the project had been greenlit. You wanted to cheer, to display your excitement with a burst of energy, however you kept yourself in check with an awareness that your actions were under scrutiny now more than before. The assassination droids opened you up to dangers that you had thus far managed to avoid. Being a potential security risk had come with the job description; this project had too many windows for that.
TeeArr followed behind you without uttering a single word. The droid acted like this often subsequent to meetings and presentations that did not involve Armitage Hux or other superior officers that you interacted with on a more regular basis.
Your mind wandered next to Kylo, and you felt a tug at your chest. Taking a heavy breath, you allowed your feet to carry you in the direction you suspected him to be. It was strange to you how that seemed to happen, how natural it was. As though the pair of you were connected--and you were aware that the Force existed, however you were also aware that you were not Force sensitive. Curiosity sparked, not for the first time, and you longed to speak to him about it. To learn about that part of his life, the power he wielded. It had helped to shape him into the person you were growing to care for.
This time you entered a different training area than the one in which you had previously found him. Anyone could enter a moment’s notice. To emphasize this point, fate had it that an officer was exiting the facility as you arrived. You followed the individual with your eyes, glanced at your droid companion, and then at last crossed the room until you could stand a few feet away from Kylo Ren. In all this time, your message pad dinged thrice. These messages you would check later. He was your priority.
TeeArr was, thankfully, not keen on vocalizing whatever thoughts ran through his processor as he and you observed Kylo Ren meditate. You enjoyed the droid’s company while allowing yourself to indulge in drinking in Kylo’s features. His mask was off to the side though he still work his robes. His hair was not matted with sweat, however it was not as puffy as it sometimes was. There were lingering signs that he had physically exerted himself, and it had you swallowing down the saliva that had gathered in your mouth. You willed away the memory of his body moving against yours. Another time, you promised yourself. The promise of that future was one of the reasons that you were there. Before you could get into the thick of the conversation, you would need to send TeeArr away. Not just yet, though. You liked having an extra presence with you while Kylo finished his meditations.
By the time that you had left the planet, you had known that you were choosing Kylo. Which meant that you had to formally reject Armitage; that was not anything you were looking forward to, however you were not cruel enough to hold off. There was a chance that he already sensed this. Regardless, it was up to you to make it official. Before doing so, you wanted to feel things out with Kylo. To try to best understand what his view on this potential relationship with you was. He shied from sentiment, and that was something you could respect. That did not mean you wanted to wind up feeling like a fool or some random tool.
A grunt from Kylo Ren preceded the moment that he opened his eyes, half-glaring at you. Air rushed out of your lungs. The frustration painted on his features revealed how loud thoughts could be. You did not understand projections through the Force; this remained another element that you wanted to question him about. You switched your attention briefly from Kylo to TeeArr, issued the command for the droid to leave, and endured the droid equivalent of a sigh prior to TeeArr obeying. His metal footfalls echoed throughout the training area with each step that he took, slowed, deliberate, until he had exited and the door once more closed.
“Can you always hear my thoughts?” you asked, voice low and level. You lowered down into a comfortable sitting position before Kylo, whose glare had lessened. His more relaxed features calmed you, quieted the pounding of your heart, which had begun the moment you had sat. A subtle shake of his head was all the answer that you received. “Huh.” There were so many questions, you realized, and you did not want to annoy him by spewing them all at once.
At times silence could be frustrating, yet it never felt that way with him. You did not feel rushed to fill the quietude with more words nor as though Kylo had you on a timer that, once ended, would make it to where he refused to listen to your thoughts. Instead the silence subsequent to your previous question and response came as a comfort. It allowed you to gather your thoughts, to sort through them as you decided the best way to phrase what you had to say.
I want to know so much more about you, you thought, tracing his face with your eyes, memorizing every mole, every bit of surface smooth or otherwise. “I do not want to damage my working relationship with him, and before I say anything to him, I want to…” You sucked your bottom lip into your mouth, chewed on it, and then pushed it back into place with your tongue. “Sentiment cannot interfere with our work--I do not know if I understand what limitations that places on any connection that might exist or develop between us.”
He had believed that the pair of you were in a relationship before, true, however it was different once you allowed yourself to feel things. Kylo Ren opened his mouth a fraction, those lips parting without forming around any words or syllables. It occurred to you that he was stunned, the fact that you admitted that you were choosing him over Armitage Hux. Or maybe it was that you were choosing him at all. Even if there had not been another, perhaps he would have expected rejection. That was rather a melancholy train of thinking, as it led you to wonder what other rejections he had faced in the past.
The question who hurt you might be a cliche, yet there it was playing out in your mind on repeat.
You allowed for the silence to persist, selecting another portion of his body to trace with your gaze despite the clothing that he wore. By the time he spoke, you had mapped out his chest and his arms and had started on his torso. “You would be second to my goals.” That might have made another feel insecure or been a blow to their pride. For you, it was a strange relief. At least for the time being, it placed a reduced amount of pressure on you. Second wasn’t bad. It was not first, true, however it allowed you to place your own career and goals as a priority. This leveled the field. You could be an individual while pursuing a relationship.
“I can explore that with you.” Its success was not a definite, and you were not going to treat it as such. Still, the wry grin that was threatening to form on Kylo Ren’s face had your heart stuttering in your chest, and it nurtured a similar urge inside of you. You suppressed the smile for another handful of seconds before allowing it to see the light of day. “I have so many projects, I do not know how much time I will have for personal matters.” He nodded in understanding. “Ah, kriff, I have to speak with General Hux.” That was what made your stomach churn.
“You may come to my quarters when you are finished.” A rather personal invitation. Something that could be solicitous or tender. It may well be both, you reasoned. Whichever form did work, as both offered you a different kind of comfort. The very fact that you were welcome there, that this was not the first time he had extended such an invitation, made you feel wanted.
“I just might,” you responded while rising up to your feet. Kylo tilted his head a little to follow you with his gaze as you stood and headed towards the exit. You cast a final glance over your shoulder at him, gave a small wave, and exited the room to speak with the redhead regarding the decision that you had made.
There were many openings going through your mind; various ways to deliver the news. None of them felt right to you. You respected General Hux too much to offer some cliche line or to be impersonal in the delivery. More than that, you would have to work with him. He was your superior, and any ill will or awkward feelings could very well wreck your working relationship. This was another pro of pursuing the relationship with Kylo Ren--if things did go south, he was not officially a member of the First Order, not strictly speaking. The matter would be handled differently than what may happen with such an event if it had been Armitage.
The upside to conducting this unfortunate meeting at the present was that you were aware of General Hux’s location. On top of that, you did not have to worry about TeeArr, who remained away on the errand you had sent him. The one thing that might put a hitch to your plans would be if Armitage had been called away on duty. This did not seem to be the case. Inhaling deeply, you offered a nod to the stormtrooper outside the office, and then waited while your presence was announced. Within moments, you were inside.
You lowered yourself down into the nearest chair. General Hux did not immediately look up from the datapad that was in his hands. You were unsure if he was in the process of reading a report or some other message. Armitage scrolled through the same--or so you assumed--file that he had been working with since before you had entered the office.
“I have a guess at what you wish to speak about.” His voice was smooth, relaxing, however his words were anything but. The stone that had been rolling around in your stomach ricocheted off its walls, moved in reverse. General Hux set down the datapad, crossed his arms behind his back, and trained his eyes on yours. “You are afraid to admit it aloud.”
You nodded without meaning to do so. “I…” Taking a deep breath, you waved a hand in the air and started over. “I respect you. I always have.” This was not to butter him up. You wanted to speak only the truth, to stick with facts though your emotions were tangled up in this situation. “A part of me does care for you, however I do not believe it is as strong as it might have been.”
“Yet it is different where Ren is concerned.” He phrased it as a statement, though there was an inflection in his voice that made it also sound like a question. Was this him showing you the hope he clung to? Were you going to crush him by answering? To lie or to allow silence to linger would be more painful. You nodded while uttering a yes. “I see.” Disappointment caused his eyebrows to knit towards one another. “I could sense it based on our interactions while on the planet, namely towards the end of our trip.” His shoulders rose then fell as he released a sigh.
General Hux moved to where he stood beside the seat across from you. Your eyes darted from it to him then settled once more on his face as he sat down. That he was doing so comforted you. This was not a sign of defeat--resignation, perhaps, but not defeat--and yet he was showing that he found no need to hover over you. This growing silence was, unlike the others, uncomfortable. You resisted the urge to squirm. Armitage Hux had to be just as uncomfortable as you were, if not more so. You doubted that he was intentionally making this harder on you. If anything, his admission had seemed to you to be meant to alleviate some of the guilt that you had harbored.
“I cannot claim that things will not be a bit...awkward as we proceed from here.” You appreciated his honesty. “It will not have an impact on your job. This is something that we can move past.” This was a truth, one that you had faced when you had first learned that he believed the two of you were in a relationship. In that sense, you had already rejected him. The two of you had moved forward from that. Sort of. Now that you paused, you realized the key difference was the finality of this rejection. “We will discuss boundaries to assist with future communications and projects. This cannot interfere with the assassination droids that you are to program.”
It was difficult to not smile at that. How you could relate to his words, his attitude. You did feel for him. If you hadn’t had any feelings at all, this might have been easier to handle. As it was, taking one step then another was the only way to go.
----------------
[Hux Route]
It was partially a strategic move that encouraged you to have TeeArr accompany you to the presentation. The ability to demonstrate how some of his basic functions could assist the droid lines you were proposing when coupled with medical droid programming meant that visuals eliminated the need for verbal explanation that would have otherwise eaten into your time. His physical design likewise acted as a visual aid for what materials would be required and why the droids would hold enough merit in the long run to justify the expenses. To fully train another officer or even stormtrooper, it would require more resources. Plus the droids were reusable, cheaper to fix than what basic training for an officer required. Each droid could theoretically care for three officers and/or stormtroopers at a time depending on the severity of the injuries and the physical therapy required. As for the anti-procrastination droids, those could very well handle simple tasks simultaneous to encouraging multiple officers as well.
While the room was reacting mostly favorably to your proposal, there were questions that revealed what portions they had tuned out--at times this was due to natural sentient behavior of hyperfocusing too much on one’s own inquiries that they missed the answer that was given when it came up. You inwardly grumbled, however outwardly you maintained your composure and repeated what you had said. For questions that had not previously been answered, you appreciated that not one of your superiors spoke with animosity, slight or fully displayed. There was a guardedness, however, that hinted at an agenda you would soon learn.
“Should this be officially approved, I must inform you that it would be a secondary project,” the highest ranking officer in the room stated. You held your breath for a beat, nodded, and exhaled without bringing notice to the fact that you had struggled to maintain your composure. This was not catching you off-guard; you were simply concerned that its lower priority level would encourage a future change of hands--as in, you being removed from the project aside from your name being attached. You had prepared for this, had been rehearsing both in your head and with Aelin as a sounding board, what to say in such circumstances. It was that you helped design droids along with programming them that had brought the First Order’s attention on you to begin with. Designing droids as freely as you wished to was expensive. You did not want to bite the hand that fed, namely not if the situation did not call for it.
You, for the time being, held your tongue and listened. While various models of assassination droids existed in the galaxy, the one that you had outlined while speaking with the senator had not been in production by any entities yet known. Presently the First Order had to work in the shadows, which meant that the usefulness of such an assassination droid was increased. The senator being aware of it, along with this advisors who were clearly seeking methods of using the information to their advantage, not acting on the design would be to the detriment of the First Order.
For security reasons the First Order wanted to keep the team assigned to this project small. They were allowing your other project, therefore, to contain more members; it was not off the table to create two teams for the project that you were proposing since they could be viewed as two separate droid projects entirely despite the similarities. It was flattering, yet it was also prematurely showing their cards--that there was, in fact, a willingness to pull you off the projects at a moment’s notice. Or without one, you mused. Should you object to these stipulations, you risked having your project denied completely.
Thank you, Aelin, you thought, holding back a grin. “I would maintain final say and have access to these projects, correct?” You noticed one of the members opening their mouths to speak, and quickly continued so that you would not technically be cutting them off as they talked. “I do not want only my name on the project. Beyond the programming, this is my design. Future generations, I am willing to budge on, and I will not be unreasonable and thus risk the success of the TR8-0R series.” You had to take charge while stepping on as few toes as possible.
TeeArr turned his head to consider you. “The TR8-0R series could best learn to function undercover by blending in with the anti-procrastination and physical therapy droids.” You blinked. “You stated as much before.” You had, which is why it caught you off-guard that you had not thought to use that point to help argue your case. Stars, you adored TeeArr. This addition would assist in you having easier access to your proposed project even while prioritizing the TR8-0R series.
You gestured to TeeArr. “As well as mimic TeeArr’s functions. Allowing me to properly view how versatile I can make them so that the First Order is best able to wield them while they are undercover. Potentially gaining more information from the target prior to elimination.”
“Indeed,” a female officer said, her head bobbing twice as her eyes locked with another superior officer’s. “The risk of team members learning about the functions of the TR8-0R series is increased.”
“True,” you concurred. “Yet the blending would not occur until later in the project, at which point we can reduce the team size entirely, merging together those with the proper clearance level--and those you approve of, of course.” You paused for breath and to check the expressions of those gathered. They were receptive to your words. “Since the physical bodies would be the same or near-identical aside from any modifications for weaponry--I still need to fine tune those details, and having a team specifically for this project will greatly assist in this--I would be able to oversee everything easily. The designs for the bodies are mostly finished, therefore my attention will be predominately on the TR8-0R project with minimal distractions.”
One of the officers began composing a message on his datapad. A few seconds afterwards all the other datapads in the room with the exception of yours chimed. It was frustrating to be treated this way, to be aware that you were being discussed without knowing fully what was stated or the tone that was being used. You could not defend yourself. There was a high chance that there was nothing that required you to defend yourself. That could instead be a necessity in the future after they agreed to these terms by stating to one another they were merely temporary. It would not be a lie, and it would get the ball rolling. That was all you could ask for.
After another few minutes of messages being exchanged, the officer that had sent the initial one looked directly at you. “This is agreeable, although to ensure that the First Order’s goals are met and remain a priority, there will be periodic meetings, and from you we require weekly reports.” That was not anything you were opposed to. You readily agreed. Aelin would not be opposed to running through hypothetical scenarios for future meetings with you just as he had with this one. With that, you would continue to have what could pass as an upper hand on matters.
Once you were dismissed and had exited the room, you sent a quick message to Aelin and then one to Eddard to inform them that the project had been greenlit. You wanted to cheer, to display your excitement with a burst of energy, however you kept yourself in check with an awareness that your actions were under scrutiny now more than before. The assassination droids opened you up to dangers that you had thus far managed to avoid. Being a potential security risk had come with the job description; this project had too many windows for that.
TeeArr followed behind you without uttering a single word. The droid acted like this often subsequent to meetings and presentations that did not involve Armitage Hux or other superior officers that you interacted with on a more regular basis.
With that train of thought, you could not help but feel a sudden desire to see Armitage. You already knew what you felt, what decision you had made. It was time to speak it aloud. To see if Armitage felt the same as he had while on the planet, or if returning to the First Order had changed things for him. Until you were certain, you did not want to say anything to Kylo Ren. What you had to tell him would sting--and it was due to this that you hoped to have Armitage’s input on how to approach Kylo. You wanted to work together with him, as a team, which the two of you would be if you truly did enter into an honest relationship.
TeeArr did not comment as you changed course towards the office in which the superior First Order officer would be busy with work. His silence was welcome, although you also noted that you being left alone to your thoughts in this case was a threat to your nerves. Despite the fact that General Hux had assumed you were already in a relationship with him, you suddenly worried that it was all a string of boredom that had since been cured. What if he did not like you anymore, or what if the upcoming assassination droid project dissuaded him from pursuing a relationship with you?
These thoughts are precisely why I have avoided entering a relationship. They can be distracting, and it is not as though I need the stress. I already have projects to juggle. What am I thinking?
Whatever you were thinking, you had arrived at the office. The stormtrooper guarding the door accepted your greeting then proceeded to announce your presence to General Hux, who granted permission for you to enter. TeeArr went in first then you followed behind, taking that extra moment to breathe deeply and recenter yourself. Once inside, after the door closed, you moved until you were level with your droid.
You lowered yourself down into the nearest chair meanwhile TeeArr remained standing beside you. General Hux did not immediately look up from the datapad that was in his hands. You were unsure if he was in the process of reading a report or some other message. TeeArr was professional in that he did not speak. You were enjoying the opportunity to run your eyes along Armitage’s body, which you very much wanted to touch. You gripped the edges of the armrests and flicked your gaze to your droid. It might be wise, you mused, to send TeeArr away on an errand before the conversation fully got underway. There was no need to dismiss him immediately though. You looked back at Armitage, who scrolled through the same--at least that was your assumption--file that he had been working with since you had entered the office.
By the time that you had left the planet, you had known that you were choosing Armitage. Which meant that you had to formally reject Kylo; that was not anything you were looking forward to, however you were not cruel enough to hold off. There was a chance that he already sensed this. Regardless, it was up to you to make it official. Before doing so, you wanted to feel things out with Armitage. To try to best understand what his view on this potential relationship with you was. He valued hard work and dedication, was clearly interested in keeping the success of the First Order as a top priority. Which you were comfortable with--though not if it meant the relationship would lapse into something one-sided.
“TeeArr,” General Hux began, the words rolling easily off his tongue. The droid stood at attention. “You are dismissed.” There was hesitation on TeeArr’s part, and you were momentarily caught off-guard as well. You recovered more quickly, turning to the droid and giving a nod so that TeeArr listened to the dismissal. TeeArr headed for the door, leaving, and you were alone with Armitage. He set the datapad on the desk before taking a seat across from you. “I hope that you are comfortable being alone with me still.”
This made your heart stutter; he was experiencing the same fears that you were, if his words were anything to go off of. “Yes.” You struggled to find the right words. “I want that more often.” Grimacing, you chastised yourself for the phrasing. Then relaxed, calming as you saw his expression soften in understanding. “I keep thinking about you, if I am being honest. Even when I came into this office. I thought about what it would be like to touch you.”
“Oh?” His pupils dilated, his cheeks reddening a little as he flushed in what you knew to be arousal rather than embarrassment. You chewed on your bottom lip, squirmed in your seat. You wanted to rise and go to him. To do that. Armitage’s lips parted as he caught onto this, the man reading your body language and nodding in consent. You were only too happy to rise from the seat that you had taken. You walked around the desk as he swiveled, turning his chair and moving his legs apart.
You drew closer to Armitage so that you were between his spread knees, your breath almost catching in your throat as you rested your forehead on his shoulder. You cupped him through the front of his pants then opened them. Using your forearm to keep aside the material, you pulled off the glove that you had been wearing for the day as part of your uniform. You wanted more than anything to have full contact, no barriers. You could not stop thinking about that, wanting it. One glove then the next fell to the ground, and you ignored them in favor of palming him.
“Mm.” The noise was small yet it echoed in your ears and was all you could focus on as you skimmed your thumb along the spongy head of his erection, smearing precum. Armitage whispered your name under his breath, almost too soft for you to hear it. Almost, but not quite. You smiled, feeling emboldened by the sound. You leaned down, released a small collection of spit onto his cock, and used it as lubrication as you moved down to the base then back up again in the first stroke.
You ghosted your other hand along his sac, toying just behind it, teasing the sensitive flesh of his perineum. His cock bobbed, twitching against your other hand. You licked your lips, alternating between watching his face and what you were doing. You palmed his balls, rolling them as you gripped his shaft again and leaned forward, curving your spine and bending forward to take the very tip into your mouth. You hollowed out your cheeks, sealed your lips around the first inch before taking more. Armitage’s hand went to the back of your head, urging you on without being too forceful. Not that you would have minded if he had been—you wanted this, perhaps just as much as he did.
With a moan, you finally closed your eyes and relished in the feel of his cock resting on your tongue. You bobbed your head, drawing back a moment later and swiping your tongue along the sensitive flesh directly under the head of his erection. Keeping your strokes slow, you blew out a steady stream of air on his wet flesh. The hand on your head gave a spasm, Armitage gulping audibly around a swear.
He began to shift, and you shuffled backwards far enough so that he could stand. This gave you a moment to breathe, to relish in the thought of what was about to happen. Though you had enjoyed being in control, you were just as excited to have him take lead. Armitage moved the hand that was already on your head to one side so that its twin could be placed on the other. You opened your mouth, let him push his cock inside, towards the back of your throat. You held onto his thighs, the muscles of which tensed then relaxed then tensed again with each and every thrust. His hands, meanwhile, worked your head, controlling your movements.
You felt your jaw stretch, wide, a little uncomfortably, and pushed aside the sensation to focus instead on the pleasurable aspects of the position you were in. You undulated your tongue under him, teasing, earning a groan of approval as Armitage thrust once more. He moved forward, fully sheathing himself in your mouth and holding you in place. Paused. Pulled back then rolled his hips. You moaned as he held you in place a second time. Whimpering, your throat constricted as you started swallowing when he came. Armitage fucked your mouth through his orgasm, swearing and saying your name in a purr. He withdrew only when he was done, his softening cock slipping out of your mouth.
Armitage tucked himself away, smoothing out his uniform as you readjusted yourself as well. You stood, sighing into the kiss that he placed on your lips. You kissed him again when he started to draw back. “I am happy being with you like this.” The lingering but had nothing to do with him; he understood, humming in acknowledgment of the fact that you did have to speak with Kylo Ren before the cycle ended. You leaned against him. Armitage trailed his hands up and down your arms, soothing you. This affection was nothing that you would have expected when first you had started to work under him. After the lotion and the time you had spent together on the planet, however, your opinion had changed.
“You can stay for a little while longer before you leave to take care of that matter.” The fact that he did not press to know what you planned to say to Kylo Ren eased some of the worry that had been building. If he had felt there was a threat to your safety, you imagined that he would have offered to go with you or else given you advice on what to say. Instead, Armitage cupped your face and kissed you, trailed his hands down to your breasts, kneading them. You moaned into the kiss. Slid your tongue along his and wound your arms around his neck to thread your fingers through his hair.
The two of you enjoyed one another’s company for near fifteen minutes though during that time his commlink chimed to indicate new messages. This was a pleasant surprise for you. The way he did prioritize work while also ensuring that you were his main focus when the two of you were together. You were thrumming with joy over your decision when you left the office; the awareness that you had to deliver unpleasant news to Kylo Ren did damper your mood after you turned down the final corridor that would take you to him.
This time the training area in which you met Kylo Ren was different than the previous. It was one in which anyone could enter at a moment’s notice, a point that was emphasized as an officer exited the facility on your way in. You stood to the side for them to leave then entered and allowed the door to slide closed. Kylo Ren was seated off to one side of the area--thankfully the officer that had left seemed to have been the only other occupant--and in a state of meditation. He remained dressed in his usual robes, however his mask was off and set on the ground beside him. There were lingering signs that he had recently physically exerted himself, although he was not too sweaty or ragged.
A grunt from Kylo Ren preceded the moment that he opened his eyes, half-glaring at you. You felt air rush out of your lungs. The frustration painted on his features caused you to wonder if he could read your thoughts, if he already knew. This reception was different than how he had been on the planet. Now Kylo Ren was more, you thought, aware of the pain of rejection. “You made your decision.” It was as you had suspected, except now that it was said aloud you found yourself wincing. You drew back yet recovered a moment later when you caught his lip tremble.
There was a level of awkwardness in the silence that followed, one that you wished you could erase. You had never disliked Kylo, not even when he had made your job more difficult. You had been frustrated with him upon learning that he was testing your work ethics. That was not the same as not wanting to be around him due to who he was. The lack of romantic feelings towards him did not eliminate the fondness, which had grown as you had learned more about him. You respected him, hoped to hear his thoughts. It would never be the same as before or as what might have been. That need not signify a death of the relationship that you had. To feed him a line such as we can be friends or I view you as a friend would be an insult, and you would not deliver that blow.
“Would you prefer that I leave?” you asked, sucking your lips into your mouth for a moment to wet them. Kylo’s eyelids descended in a slow blink. He said nothing, perhaps considering what it was that he did want. He mouthed the word no, and you sank down into a sitting position, shifting a second later so that you mirrored his stance. “I do want to continue developing more training droids for you.” He nodded, where before he might have offered a snarky retort. This change did sting. It was preferable to the silence, to being sent away. You would adjust to this just as he would.
----------
[Poly Route]
It was partially a strategic move that encouraged you to have TeeArr accompany you to the presentation. The ability to demonstrate how some of his basic functions could assist the droid lines you were proposing when coupled with medical droid programming meant that visuals eliminated the need for verbal explanation that would have otherwise eaten into your time. His physical design likewise acted as a visual aid for what materials would be required and why the droids would hold enough merit in the long run to justify the expenses. To fully train another officer or even stormtrooper, it would require more resources. Plus the droids were reusable, cheaper to fix than what basic training for an officer required. Each droid could theoretically care for three officers and/or stormtroopers at a time depending on the severity of the injuries and the physical therapy required. As for the anti-procrastination droids, those could very well handle simple tasks simultaneous to encouraging multiple officers as well.
While the room was reacting mostly favorably to your proposal, there were questions that revealed what portions they had tuned out--at times this was due to natural sentient behavior of hyperfocusing too much on one’s own inquiries that they missed the answer that was given when it came up. You inwardly grumbled, however outwardly you maintained your composure and repeated what you had said. For questions that had not previously been answered, you appreciated that not one of your superiors spoke with animosity, slight or fully displayed. There was a guardedness, however, that hinted at an agenda you would soon learn.
“Should this be officially approved, I must inform you that it would be a secondary project,” the highest ranking officer in the room stated. You held your breath for a beat, nodded, and exhaled without bringing notice to the fact that you had struggled to maintain your composure. This was not catching you off-guard; you were simply concerned that its lower priority level would encourage a future change of hands--as in, you being removed from the project aside from your name being attached. You had prepared for this, had been rehearsing both in your head and with Aelin as a sounding board, what to say in such circumstances. It was that you helped design droids along with programming them that had brought the First Order’s attention on you to begin with. Designing droids as freely as you wished to was expensive. You did not want to bite the hand that fed, namely not if the situation did not call for it.
You, for the time being, held your tongue and listened. While various models of assassination droids existed in the galaxy, the one that you had outlined while speaking with the senator had not been in production by any entities yet known. Presently the First Order had to work in the shadows, which meant that the usefulness of such an assassination droid was increased. The senator being aware of it, along with this advisors who were clearly seeking methods of using the information to their advantage, not acting on the design would be to the detriment of the First Order.
For security reasons the First Order wanted to keep the team assigned to this project small. They were allowing your other project, therefore, to contain more members; it was not off the table to create two teams for the project that you were proposing since they could be viewed as two separate droid projects entirely despite the similarities. It was flattering, yet it was also prematurely showing their cards--that there was, in fact, a willingness to pull you off the projects at a moment’s notice. Or without one, you mused. Should you object to these stipulations, you risked having your project denied completely.
Thank you, Aelin, you thought, holding back a grin. “I would maintain final say and have access to these projects, correct?” You noticed one of the members opening their mouths to speak, and quickly continued so that you would not technically be cutting them off as they talked. “I do not want only my name on the project. Beyond the programming, this is my design. Future generations, I am willing to budge on, and I will not be unreasonable and thus risk the success of the TR8-0R series.” You had to take charge while stepping on as few toes as possible.
TeeArr turned his head to consider you. “The TR8-0R series could best learn to function undercover by blending in with the anti-procrastination and physical therapy droids.” You blinked. “You stated as much before.” You had, which is why it caught you off-guard that you had not thought to use that point to help argue your case. Stars, you adored TeeArr. This addition would assist in you having easier access to your proposed project even while prioritizing the TR8-0R series.
You gestured to TeeArr. “As well as mimic TeeArr’s functions. Allowing me to properly view how versatile I can make them so that the First Order is best able to wield them while they are undercover. Potentially gaining more information from the target prior to elimination.”
“Indeed,” a female officer said, her head bobbing twice as her eyes locked with another superior officer’s. “The risk of team members learning about the functions of the TR8-0R series is increased.”
“True,” you concurred. “Yet the blending would not occur until later in the project, at which point we can reduce the team size entirely, merging together those with the proper clearance level--and those you approve of, of course.” You paused for breath and to check the expressions of those gathered. They were receptive to your words. “Since the physical bodies would be the same or near-identical aside from any modifications for weaponry--I still need to fine tune those details, and having a team specifically for this project will greatly assist in this--I would be able to oversee everything easily. The designs for the bodies are mostly finished, therefore my attention will be predominately on the TR8-0R project with minimal distractions.”
One of the officers began composing a message on his datapad. A few seconds afterwards all the other datapads in the room with the exception of yours chimed. It was frustrating to be treated this way, to be aware that you were being discussed without knowing fully what was stated or the tone that was being used. You could not defend yourself. There was a high chance that there was nothing that required you to defend yourself. That could instead be a necessity in the future after they agreed to these terms by stating to one another they were merely temporary. It would not be a lie, and it would get the ball rolling. That was all you could ask for.
After another few minutes of messages being exchanged, the officer that had sent the initial one looked directly at you. “This is agreeable, although to ensure that the First Order’s goals are met and remain a priority, there will be periodic meetings, and from you we require weekly reports.” That was not anything you were opposed to. You readily agreed. Aelin would not be opposed to running through hypothetical scenarios for future meetings with you just as he had with this one. With that, you would continue to have what could pass as an upper hand on matters.
Once you were dismissed and had exited the room, you sent a quick message to Aelin and then one to Eddard to inform them that the project had been greenlit. You wanted to cheer, to display your excitement with a burst of energy, however you kept yourself in check with an awareness that your actions were under scrutiny now more than before. The assassination droids opened you up to dangers that you had thus far managed to avoid. Being a potential security risk had come with the job description; this project had too many windows for that.
TeeArr followed behind you without uttering a single word. The droid acted like this often subsequent to meetings and presentations that did not involve Armitage Hux or other superior officers that you interacted with on a more regular basis.
One thing that you hoped to do before the cycle ended was speak with both Armitage and Kylo. There had been no further pressure from either of them as far as choosing went. What was more, the chimes indicating messages revealed that they both wanted to see you, and they were each aware that you would be visiting the other. You stared at the set times for those vistations, wondering what they meant. Armitage had proposed that you meet him in his quarters, meanwhile Kylo stated that he would seek you out when it was closer to time and so you could proceed with your normal routine after you were with the General, as he put it. You smiled at that, feeling your shoulders relaxing. He could be more difficult to read than Armitage due to the mask that he wore.
Lingering nervousness over the situation, over the tumultuous feelings you had for both men, dissuaded you from eating a large meal. You did grab a ration bar to tide yourself over until dinner, at which point you hoped there would be improvement in your appetite. It was difficult to not rehearse what you might say to each man in various scenarios, many of which became far from realistic. You began to distract yourself through other means, the first of which was to check your messages to see if Eddard had responded. A smile lit up your face when you saw that he had. His excitement over the project matched your own in a way.
Stretching your arms above your head after tucking away your datapad, you entwined your fingers and worked to release some of the tension that had built in your muscles. The meeting had gone better than you had feared, although there were areas that you wished could have been better. There was another hour before you were set to meet with Armitage, and you did not know yet how you wanted to spend it. The ration bar had done its job of filling you up. You exited the cafeteria after deciding that you would find somewhere quiet to clear your mind.
Three quarters of an hour later, you observed TeeArr’s retreating form as the droid headed off to indulge in the oil bath that you had scheduled for him as a reward for his assistance earlier. It was also a move to allow you some privacy when speaking with Armitage, whose quarters you were about to head towards. You were looking forward to seeing the functioning TIE cat bed in person, what with how Eddard had spoken of it and the holofeed that you had been allowed to observe. More than that, you could not help but think of how it was to be with him. To potentially touch him--Maker, you wanted to truly mess up his hair. Rake your fingers through it. Kiss him. Let him kiss you without worrying that some senator was going to request a meeting...which, now that you paused for a moment, remained a possibility. The difference was that the senator would not be in close proximity.
The stormtrooper guarding Armitage’s quarters moved to the side, already aware that you were meant to be there. You felt your entire body heat up at that knowledge, pleasure rippling through you. This was not some special treatment. It was a step towards a relationship, if you decided to go that route.
Once inside Armitage’s quarters, you gave him a soft greeting and sought out the TIE cat bed. You spotted it quickly in the corner. Millicent was curled up in it. Her purrs echoed, bringing a smile to your face. Normally she would have either skittered away or become playful when you arrived. You took this to mean that she had tired herself out with the toys on the bed.
“I will have to come during the day. She is usually more active around lunch.”
“Yes. Also during the night cycle.” Your grin grew at the tone of his voice, a cross between affection and exasperation. Armitage extended a hand towards you, and you stepped nearer. Your breath almost caught in your throat as contact was made. His touch was gentle though firm. “I acquired a list of other works by a newer poet that I believe will catch your interest.” You hummed in response, wondering what he believed you would enjoy. Poetry was not why he had brought you there.
You took another step closer to him, your hands meeting his waist. Your heart hammered in your chest, your pulse quickening when he pressed against you. Desire flooded through you; you wanted more than anything to have full contact, no barriers. “I have no idea what to do,” you admitted. Armitage’s expression softened. His hand shifted upwards from your waist to the side of your face. He leaned down and captured your mouth with his. “I want to touch you.” You could not stop thinking about that, wanting it. The leather clad hand on your face only fueled your desire.
“You may.” You swallowed thickly, pinching the edge of a glove. You tugged off one then the second, allowing them both to fall to the ground. You palmed him through his pants. His cock twitched against your hand, making you clench in response. “Mm.”
The noise was small yet it echoed in your ears, was all you could focus on. You worked the front of his pants open and slid your hand within. Skimmed your thumb along the spongy head of his erection, smearing precum. Armitage whispered your name under his breath. You smiled again, feeling emboldened by the sound. You wrapped your hand around his shaft, using your other hand to push his pants down his hips a fraction more, revealing his thighs and his cock. You rested your forehead on his chest, looking down, watching your hand around him as you stroked him a second time.
You ghosted your hand downwards, along his sac, and toyed the sensitive flesh of his perineum. His cock bobbed, heavy between his legs. Licking your lips, you peeked up to see his flushed face, so red. Deliciously stained pink with his arousal. You palmed his sac, rolling your wrist, and then moved to grip his cock again. You arched your spine, your breasts pressed to his chest. Armitage claimed your mouth more hungrily, his tongue toying with yours. He placed his hand on the back of your head, locking you in place in that kiss. You trembled with delight, jerking his cock.
Moaning into the kiss, you closed your eyes and melted into the feel of him in your hand. You imagined how he would be inside of you, stretching you. Not yet, you told yourself, and a small part of you wondered why you were denying yourself such pleasure. Even though you knew.
You trailed your fingers back up to the head of his cock, toying with the flesh directly underneath. The noise that Armitage released practically had you purring. This man, normally so in control of himself, coming undone because of you. The hand on your head gave a spasm. Armitage gulped, drawing back from the kiss to suck in air.
“Today has been very nice.” He grunted in response to your words, mindlessly nodding. Armitage thrust into your hand in time with your strokes. You could tell when he was growing close, and you worked him faster, using his precum and, spitting on your hand, your saliva to keep him lubricate so that it remained pleasurable for him. Armitage swore as he came, streaks of cum spilling onto the floor and your hand. Your eyebrows rose at the sight, your mouth going dry. You may not have messed up his hair as you had intended, but this sight was perhaps more in line of what you had needed.
Only when he had fully softened did he pull away and tuck his cock back into his pants, which he readjusted and closed. He reached for you, however you placed a hand on his wrist and shook your head. Then moved in for another kiss, which he was more than happy to return. His arms encircled you, fingers toying with the small of your back. You moaned into the kiss while working to suppress the shudder of delight that spiderwebbed through your body. It was electrifying, a threat to your better sense--in good time, perhaps, you would let him touch you as you had touched him. You needed your wits about you for the time being, for this discussion.
You pulled back when the need for air became too great. “Armitage?” He grunted in response as a means of allowing you to know that he was listening. “What are we doing?”
“I am prepared to enter an open relationship with you, at least for the time being.” You sucked your lips into your mouth to hide whatever expression might have formed on your features. The truth was, you did not know how to react. Armitage was undeterred by this, as though he had expected nothing less. “It offers us time to see how and if a relationship would work given the circumstances of our work and current dynamics. I understand the complication that is Kylo Ren.”
“So we are making this official.” He nodded. “And Kylo feels the same?”
“In all honesty, I am unaware of his plans other than that he wishes to speak with you. If his intentions are identical to my own, my stance remains unchanged.”
A fluttering in your stomach preceded the smile that at last spread across your face. Armitage slipped a finger under your chin, drawing lazy circles along the area as he stared into your eyes. The two of you kissed once more then he led you to one of your preferred locations in his quarters where you could both sit comfortably. Armitage grabbed a datapad once there, powering on the device and flicking through files until he located the one that he sought. You rested your head on his shoulder as you watched him.
He pulled up a new poem. It was structured differently than the other that he had shared with you, and you could tell by the word choice as well that it had been penned by a different poet. This individual also compared metal and nature, although their preference was more difficult to discern. They merged the two, entwining them and speaking of their coexistence in romantic analogies that caused your breath to hitch. It was ideal to you, the picture that the poet created in your mind with their words.
“I thought you might like that.” You could only nod in reply to Armitage’s words, your hand placed on his arm.
[Hours Later]
The heavy footsteps were announcement enough that Kylo Ren was drawing nearer to your quarters. You considered the MSE droid, felt your lips quirk, and pressed the icon on your datapad that opened the door as he arrived. His visor met your eyes briefly before following a path that allowed him to see the droid. It would have been wonderful to see his expression. You imagined that he had drawn his eyebrows towards one another in mild confusion. “You kept it.”
“I did,” you said, a grin spreading across your features. “It is quite a trip hazard, however I am enjoying the challenge.” It was, at least, no longer slamming into people. Instead the MSE droid had been stopping suddenly, which had caused you to trip over it even as you had reentered your quarters. “I can be stubborn.”
“Mm.” The grunt vibrated through you with how the mask deepened it. You bit down on the insides of your cheeks if only to keep from seizing your lip. Anything to hold in the moan. Yet he seemed to know regardless what his noises did to you. Kylo Ren stepped into your quarters enough so that the door closed behind him. “You wish to know more of the Force.”
A statement that prompted a nod, which he mirrored rather than immediately speaking again. You were, if you were honest, impressed with how much he had already said since entering your quarters. Kylo moved within the room, his visor pointed at the MSE droid. It had rolled forward then moved back in retreat. Stuttered forward. Your lips quirked towards one side and you wrinkled your nose. You truly did enjoy the challenge, but that did not mean you were not a little frustrated with the multiple issues you had encountered since first bringing it into your quarters.
Kylo lowered himself when he was in front of you. How he was seated did not differ from when you had joined him in meditation on previous occasions. It was nice to know that he was comfortable with you like this.
“I spoke with Armitage earlier,” you blurted out. It was not news to Kylo Ren, yet he still tilted his head as though curious. “I do not want to be dishonest with you. He and I will be in an open relationship.”
“On a trial basis?” It was difficult to say, and so you took a moment to consider then shrugged while shaking your head. You would have to ask Armitage that at a later time. “That is acceptable.” You held your breath, waiting. A sort of strangled noise left him before he obliged your unvoiced need for clarity. He used two fingers to gesture to you then himself. “Yes.” He held out a hand, palm up, and your datapad lifted out of your hands to hover in the air between the two of you.
He made it look so simple, so natural. As though everyone in the galaxy should be capable of this feat. The datapad curved, twisting around in a circle before descending to return to your grasp. You cupped it with both of your hands. His hand had not moved, his fingers had not twitched. You wondered if he had needed to use his hand at all, or if that had been for your benefit.
“The Force is more than parlor tricks.” The laugh that erupted from you caused your face to heat up. You lifted the datapad to momentarily hide from him, your shoulders shaking. Warmth spread throughout your body. He had been intentionally funny, and it was so intimate to you, so special. His snark, such ironic statements, was more often deprecating. This had not been that. This was kind. In his way, it was sweet. “You may ask two questions regarding the Force, and I will answer.” This he stated after you had regained your composure and lowered the datapad. You paused and thought about what you might ask him.
I thought you were done with credits and notes and commentaries, I hear you say. You had an entire chapter dedicated to credits and notes. Why do you have more notes?
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, @stellarfoam and I wrote a thing for @pod-together, got a whole ton of talented people to help us read it, and created the first ao3 relationship for the tag “Original Fear Entity Avatar Characters & Original Fear Entity Avatar Characters (The Magnus Archives)” except the tag was too long so the “the” got dropped.
You can find that here.
If, however, you have already read/listened to/somehow otherwise experienced our oc/self-insert-heavy original statement fic, welcome! I assume you’re here because you wanted to listen to me ramble on for yet another thousand words. If you’re not looking for that, well, here it is.
Under the cut, anyways
The World of DCS:
This is, very technically, the Magnus Archives fanfic.
I say technically, because nowhere in this does canon appear. It appears in the inspiration and base worldbuilding, but other than that... yeah no.
So this started when Kai and I looked at the worldbuilding TMA has for the U.S. and went “yeah there’s got to be more than one institute.” Thus the San Francisco Institute for the Unusual and Paranormal was born, along with its satellite offices in Denver and Chicago. Those same satellite offices also serve The Usher Foundation in DC.
The branch offices collect statement, both written and recorded, and other research on the paranormal. Every five years, SFIUP sends along a couple of archival assistants to go and transfer those files to long-term storage in San Francisco or DC.
The relationship between the branch offices and SFIUP can be best summed up as follows:
Chicago & Denver: Bigger archives are always bossing us around :(
San Fran & DC: Alright but can you like, actually store your statements
Chicago & Denver: No....
San Fran & DC: Okay, so...?
Chicago & Denver: DON’T TELL US WHAT TO DO
Also, we said screw you to Smirke’s 14. There’s every chance that by defining and putting boundaries on the 14 he actually helped shape them into those roles, and we figured that different places would have different mergers and interpretations of those 14. Most of our statements merge or ignore the defined fears- Something There is Dark/Hunt/Eye, Hung is Vast/Buried, Beauty is Eye/Vast, Shasta Lake is just a weirdly big fish, Dragon’s Cauldron might be Hunt? It’s more just a “alright but wouldn’t it be COOL if...”
We also have another giant document about how the fears might manifest in different parts of America.
Because there is never an end to the worldbuilding.
The Car:
Some random facts about the car for your enjoyment:
- It woke up because something something knowledge = power and Lee and Dusk (LD) kept reading it statements
- So now the equation knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass applies, which is to say that the trunk is a transdimensional space that LD primarily use for storage of random things.
- Also a flesh monster.
- It’s just back there.
- It tried to kill them at one point while crossing through Minnesota. They shoved it in the trunk. It just sort of. Remains there. For awhile.
- The car did not approve.
- In case your wondering, the car is more or less a traveling archive, and LD are its archivists.
- However LD did not sign up for this, and so their road trip culminates eventually with them killing the car. It is a long and terrible battle, and the two of them nearly die.
- I have, somewhere on this computer, right now, a recording of the Car’s lovely voice actor Lynx doing a variety of absolutely terrible voices, including petulant teenager and valley girl.
Statements:
We have two pages worth of statement ideas still that we’ll get around to writing someday. If we stop adding to them. Here’s the stories behind some of the ones that made it into the fic, and some other general things I wanted to talk about.
Chapter 1: Archivist’s Note, San Francisco, Shasta Lake:
The recording classification system does not have much thought put into it, but follows the following format
[Media type];[Supernatural Classification].[Year].[Month]:[Employee(s) responsible for the case]
So in the case of [S;F15.2015.06-09:LD)], it’s: Statement(s);Multiple fears.2015.June-September:Lee & Dusk
Is this a perfect system? Hell no. Did this get as deep into archive classification systems as I wanted to go for a 15k fic? Yes.
The Shasta Lake statement pulled heavily from several sources, including the Shasta Lake fishing website, Wikipedia, and an actual news story about a couple of guys who saved a sturgeon from choking on a catfish. It’s kinda an amazing story, especially since the fish was actually about 8 feet long.
Things I don’t want to run into, thank you.
Chapter 4: Empty City, Gas
Empty city was, as mentioned in the fic, inspired by a statement @laurenbrightwing gave to us. And yes, LD absolutely have gone and explored graveyards and abandoned buildings for the Aesthetic of it.
Gas, however, came from The Car, an absolutely beautiful TAU fic by Feneris. Don’t ask what it runs on. You don’t want to know.
Chapter 6: Greenway
Fic-Dusk used to work for the Denver Branch Office before going to San Fran. The branch office never forgave them for their treachery.
Chapter 7: Hung
Eastman Chemical Company is an actual company stationed in Tennessee, and this statement was very heavily modeled after Mag 124: Left Hanging, except with more buried vibes.
Needs more buried should be a motto.
Chapter 9: The Dragon’s Cauldron
Guess who went down a research hole? It me.
Research notes for this statement can be found here.
Sources:
Debunking the Myth, Fear of Yellowstone (U.S. National Park Service)
Native Americans and Yellowstone National Park: Hot Springs, Legends and Sacred Places
Explore the Fort Yellowstone Historic District (U.S. National Park Service) Whittesly Yellowstone Myths.pdf
Timeline of Human History in Yellowstone - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Legend of the Sheepeater Indian Tribe in Yellowstone - My Yellowstone Park
The History of our Local Tribe: The Sheep Eater Indians - Bitterroot Ranch Dragons in Yellowstone - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Chapter 10: Something There, Archivist’s Note 2
RIGHT. This is a fun chain of events that have taken about three years to mature into this story.
Something There started off with a nightmare about something stalking me through my house. I was thoroughly creeped out, and then promptly forgot about it for the next day until I went to walk through my house at night and thought I heard something moving behind me.
About a year later, my composition teacher told us to write a speech. I think the prompt was truth?
So I went off about the thing supposedly living in my house, how no one would believe me if I told them, and implying that I absolutely was lying about the entire thing. My teacher loved it, and I got the highest grade I’d gotten that year for that assignment. (“They lauded me for that, did you know?”)
If that sort of vaguely existential crisis sounds like something you’d have fun reading, the full speech can be found here.
A bit later, I read the same speech for an open mic. One of my friends there yelled out that she believed me- something that did make it into the final version. (“One of my friends told me she believed me, once. I… I just shrugged and told her that there wasn’t actually anything there.”)
It eventually made its way into this project via me trying to figure out what the hell to use for a more spooky statement and stumbling across the speech sitting in my google drive.
I managed to scare myself to the point of not being able to go upstairs in the dark for about a week with the updated version.
I wrote it.
This seems counterintuitive.
Does this make this a self insert story? No. Statement giver here does not in any way respond like I would have in this situation, and they’ve since drifted even farther into full OC territory.
The “they can’t hurt you if you’re watching/if you see them comes from the lovely tma time travel fic “Strangers in the Dark” by Mayarene Rose.
MouseK also gave us the closing line for the fic! It wraps it up so nicely, and I’ve already squeed about this in the fic itself, but they deserve more because the line’s amazing and I love it.
Conclusion:
Thanks to everyone who gave us statements, inspired us, and helped us with the project. It’s been an excellent time, and there have already been discussions of either statements collected on this journey or short stories set in the same universe being written.
A/N: probably not the kind of smooch you thought you were gonna get with this one, but a smooch nonetheless! This is a one shot with no connection to any other Logan AU or fics I’ve posted. And it ran completely away with itself.
Warning: language, discussion of sexual assault
Word Count: 4,780 (oops)
Prompt: from @gollyderek
You tried not to roll your eyes as you raised your glass to your lips. It was expensive champagne; you knew because you hated it. You could taste the pretension in the way it flaunted its dryness like no liquid should. Swallowing the whole flute in one go, you sucked air through your teeth to cleanse your palate of the cloying wealth. A server came by, skin tight dress painted onto her mathematically perfect proportions, and you plucked another glass from her tray, trading it with your empty one. The sudden fluctuation in weight distribution on the tray would have made the average attendant spill the remaining refreshments, but she adjusted beautifully. Of course she did.
“Are you enjoying your evening, miss?” the server blinked at you from behind lush lashes, her wide eyes bright, her plump lips open at just the right degree.
You peeled your eyes away from the display you’d been failing to avoid across the room, letting them land heavily on the smiling, overpriced piece of equipment in front of you. One manicured finger tapped against the glass you’d snatched as you considered how to answer her, Logan’s hand sliding slowly over the shoulder of the man whose ear he was whispering into catching the corner of your eye. Not at all, but my job requires me to be here so here the fuck I am. “Yeah, sweetheart, it’s a real blast.” You wondered if these fuckbots spoke sarcasm.
She smiled, her round cheeks shrinking her eyes as her lips drew up into a bow. Wonder if he designed this one. Picked out the tits or the mouth or… You didn’t want to think about what else Logan may or may not have requested on the particular model in front of you. “Well if there’s anything you need,” she gave a little giggle that matched the bubbles in the champagne.
This time you didn’t bother trying to hide your eyeroll. “Yeah. If there’s anything I need, doll, I’ll let you know.” She doesn’t speak sarcasm, but I’m fucking fluent. Her saccharine smile left a sour taste in your mouth. You took another sip of champagne to counter it as she flounced off, not a drop spilled as she swayed through the crowded ballroom, hips and ass trailing behind her, barely concealed beneath the shimmering white fabric. Who even falls for that shit anyway? A quick glance in either direction yielded at least seven pairs of eyes glued hungrily to her curves. You wanted to be surprised, but you’d shared a conference table with some of these men, and so you couldn’t be. Come on, Tom, you’re married for fuck’s sake.
You reluctantly returned your eyes to the far side of the palatial space, and were met with Logan’s, waiting for yours. His eyes were brown, you knew, the color of coffee without cream. But right now, his teeth flashing in a grin before clamping around the earlobe he’d just shared a secret with, they were coal black, embers flickering dangerously in their depths. Logan’s grin curved around the man’s flesh as he maintained eye contact with you. The recipient of the bite let his eyes roll closed and you felt your nostrils flare. Oh, come on Logan, really? You drained the contents of your glass and set it on a credenza as your heels clicked across the marble floor, finally unable to just sit back and watch.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
It had been almost six months to the day that you’d met Logan Delos. His family attorney had hired you to help “protect his image” after incriminating photos that hinted at a sex scandal were leaked to the press alongside damaging accusations that had been proven false, but still threatened to mar Logan’s- and by extension, Delos’- reputation. You thought you’d known what to expect when it came to Logan; in fact, you had even gone so far as to argue with your boss about taking him on as a client. But Delos Inc. and its subsidiaries had been using your firm for years.
“They’re one of our oldest and most important clients,” Cynthia, your boss had said in an even tone from behind her coffee mug. “And you’re one of the best we’ve got now.” She looked at you, the power in her green eyes magnified by the black rimmed glasses that were perched high on her nose. You let out a miniscule breath and clenched your jaw. You’d just received a promotion that came with a substantial raise due to the work you’d done on the last case you’d been assigned to- a pop star coming back to a wavering fan base after a stint in rehab- and you knew that Cynthia assigning you to the Delos account meant that she was reinforcing her faith in your ability to represent her firm. “This is the sort of thing you’re going to be handling now,” she told you seriously. “Playboys and pill poppers in the public eye with too much money and a penchant for extraordinary mistakes. That something you can handle?” She set her coffee down on the polished mahogany desk between you, observing every little tick and twitch in the muscles of your cheeks and lips. She’d always been good at reading people, you knew, which was why she’d been able to climb as high as she had in her profession.
You knew it was fruitless to try to hide what you were thinking. You shook your head, resigned to the fact that you’d have to take on the case. “Cyn, just tell me if you think he’s guilty before I get into this, okay? I know what the court verdict was but… what do you think?”
Cynthia flattened her hands on the desk and tilted her head. “I’d never send you into a lie, you know that.” You nodded. Yeah, I know, just… “And I have personally worked with Logan Delos in the past, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that there is no way that he is guilty. He takes his work and his career and his company far too seriously to ever jeopardize it. Is he a sharp tongued asshole who loves to flirt and dives headfirst into excess? Absolutely, so you’ll have your hands full. But under all that…” she looked for a more professional term but came up short, rolling her eyes. “Under all that bullshit, he’s a decent man. Smart, too.” She sighed. “Actually one of the few that I like to work with, because he values a professional opinion.”
“Alright, Cyn,” you smoothed your hair back. Guess this is happening. “When do I leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. You’re on the 9am to Los Angeles.” Cynthia slid a packet of information across the desk to you, your travel itinerary on top. “It’s a six month assignment, so we rented out an apartment for you.” Six months? Damn. The longest assignment you’d had prior to this one had been half that time, and you’d been able to stay in NYC for most of it, only travelling with your client when necessary. You flipped through the file as Cynthia continued speaking. “Because of the circumstances, you’ll have a temporary office within the Delos Inc. building. You’ll be working closely with Mr. Delos and several other entities, and you will be expected to attend all public appearances and events.” Working closely with Mr. Delos? You looked up from the information then, hands frozen midway through flipping the page. Usually you worked behind the scenes, putting out fires before they had a chance to spark. Actually attending events and getting that much face time with your clients was something completely new for you. You recovered, looking back down at the file in your hand, eyes scanning the printed packet and going wide when they landed on the keywords: sexual indiscretion, abuse of power, sexual assault.
It’s not true. You reminded yourself. The accuser was found to be lying, and the whole situation had been fabricated or spun grossly out of control; some assistant claiming that Logan had forced himself on her, holding her career over her head in exchange for sexual favors. You flipped another page in the packet and landed on a profile of Logan’s past relationships- a model, an actor, an heiress, another model, a member of the Russian ballet- none of them were Delos employees. Even without having met him, you knew that the accusation didn't fit his M.O.
Another flip of the pages in your hand uncovered photos that made your breath catch slightly. Oh, damn. Yeah this isn’t a man that has to force himself on...anyone. They were tabloid shots, one of Logan getting out of a gleaming black limo, long legs in perfectly tailored dress pants, one hand in the pocket of his jacket, arm bent at an angle that showed off his trim figure. His nutty brown eyes were warm above the blinding smile he wore, and even though it was just a photo you could tell that he moved with confidence from the stance that he took. The second photo was taken in a restaurant, Logan’s long fingers wrapped around a glass that he was using to gesture with. He was speaking animatedly about something to two men and a woman, his eyebrows raised and his mouth open. All three at the table with him were Delos employees according to the notes that were paperclipped to the photo page, and the female intern pictured was the one who had launched the accusations. The two men present had been called on to share their side of the story, both of them making it clear that they had not witnessed any inappropriate behavior at that dinner or at any other time. Your eyes went back to Logan, to the magnetic way that he drew the attention of those around him. Again, it was just a photo, but you could feel his energy coming through the page in the way that he so comfortably carried himself.
You looked up at Cynthia and found her studying your reactions to the photos. “As you can see, he’s quite the catch.” You cursed yourself for the color you felt rising to your cheeks. “And combined with his net worth, you can see why someone would get the idea into their head that he could be threatened for not giving them what they wanted.” You glanced back down at the pictures, and felt a twinge of sympathy for the overwhelmingly attractive young man in them. “The accusations were dismissed, and the intern has been fired and is being sued for defamation of character, but the connotations of a situation like this stick. Delos is concerned that the public memory of this incident will be that Logan can’t be trusted with female employees.” Cynthia rolled her eyes once more. “No one’s worried about his male employees apparently. Sexist fucking country we live in.” You let out a small laugh. From the list of relationships you’d reviewed, it was clear that Logan spent just as much time with men as he did with women. “So, part of the reason why you will be working so closely with him, is to improve that public memory. Of course you’ll offer advice about how he should behave for the next few months to shake this story, tell him to tone down the flirting and all that. But the other benefit is that you’ll prove that Logan Delos can work with a woman without making an advance on her.”
“Well, since I’m not on billboards or runways I’m not really his type, so that should be no problem.” You closed the information packet and set it on the desk. “Thanks for trusting me with this one, Cyn. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t. And we’ll have weekly conferences so you can let me know what’s going on. I’m always available if you need advice, but,” she stood and you did the same. “I have no doubts that you can handle this one like a pro.” She’d walked you out of her office then, and the next morning your bags were packed and you were boarding a flight out of the cold and into the sunshine.
The first meeting with Logan confirmed what you’d read in those photos- his confidence was off the charts. He was entirely comfortable in any setting, because he was entirely comfortable in his own skin. He knew who he was and he made no apologies for it. He was equally as proud of his business dealings as he was of his three months of sobriety from heroin and painkillers, and as eager to leave the mess of this situation behind him as he seemed to be to show you around the building. At the end of the tour he’d shown you to your office, just two doors down from his own. You thanked him, and set your things down, starting to settle in. You thought he’d left, but when you turned back around he was still standing in the doorway, an almost tentative look crossing his handsome features. That’s different.
“Can I talk to you for a minute? About all this…” he gestured to the briefcase you’d opened on the desk.
You nodded, holding a hand out to indicate that he should go on. “Sure Mr. Delos-”
“You can call me Logan, it’s fine,” he waved you off, pulling the door closed behind him. You made sure to keep the desk between you, as even though the door was shut, the large window allowed anyone passing through the hall to peek in, and you didn’t want any of them getting any ideas about what was going on.
You nodded again. “Okay, Logan. Look, if you’re worried about my qualifications, I can assure you that-”
He cut you off again by holding up one hand, pointer finger extended. “No, that’s not… Delos has been using your firm forever. I trust Cynthia, so I trust you. I’m sure we’re gonna butt heads, but I know you’re gonna do a great job with this fucking mess.”
You cleared your throat as he kept his eyes on you. “Well, I’m glad to hear that Mr. Del- Logan.”
He took a step closer, and that tentative look was still there. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter and you were struck by the seriousness in his eyes. “I want you to know that none of it was true. I didn’t...I’d never do what she said I did.” I know… You had been skeptical only for a few minutes, before Cynthia put your doubts to rest, before you read through the packet, before you met the man in front of you. “This company means...everything to me, so I’d never do anything that would…” he shook his head, a piece of hair falling loose. He swiped it back and out of his eyes. “But more than that, I’d never use my position to manipulate someone… I’ve been on the other end of that...I respect my employees. And I’d never do anything like that to someone I respect...Hell I’d never do anything like that to anyone, respect or not.” He blinked, but you could see how much he wanted you to believe him in those dark chocolate eyes. “Look, I’ve… I’ve been with people who I’ve worked with before, but only after they’d left the company or after their services ended. I’m...careful about it…” he let out a derisive laugh. “Even if that’s the only thing I’m careful about.”
He was showing you a small crack in the confident facade with this honesty, and even though you suspected that he was right- you’d likely butt heads plenty of times over the next few months as you helped him repair the public opinion of him- you found yourself growing angry that someone would throw such damaging lies at someone as honest and sincere as Logan. You gave him a small smile that you hoped was reassuring. “I know, Logan. I believe you fully. It’s despicable, the lengths some people are willing to go to for a little attention. I truly am sorry that this happened to you, and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that it’s entirely behind you.”
He nodded, hands in his pockets. “Good. Well, I’ll let you get settled. You know where my office is if you need anything.”
You thanked him, and he left the door to your office open as he left, turning down the hall to go to his own office, double the size of yours as it should be. He’s intense… this is going to be quite the assignment… You blew air out through your lips as you sunk into your desk chair, wasting no time in getting to work on a blueprint for this project: Cut back on the flirting in public, show up to any and all press releases to show that he’s more invested in the business than the business interns, strong emphasis on giving back to the community, large donations to foundations that support equality in the workplace, etc.
The six months had passed much more quickly than you would have guessed. The first fundraising event that you’d attended had left you feeling like Cinderella at the ball… combined with a little bit of fairy godmother as you reminded Logan not to get too physical with his date for the event, and that he should make a speech to draw attention to the cause that was being supported. He’d groaned and called you a buzzkill, but he’d done what you’d asked, and that had pretty much set the tone for every interaction. “You’re no fun,” was a commonly used phrase, and he’d taken to introducing you to certain people as his “own personal killjoy”. You rolled your eyes and played along, but you knew that he appreciated the work that you were doing, because he heeded your every suggestion. Your private meetings with him had become less and less daunting as time went on and the two of you got to know one another, allowing for less walking on eggshells and more nitty gritty facts, eventually causing Logan to eye you suspiciously from across your desk one afternoon, and say “Ya know, I think you know more about my personal life than anyone I’ve ever dated.”
You swallowed the coffee you’d just sipped and stared at him. Despite the sometimes cocky way he’d behaved, and the seemingly unquenchable sex drive, you had to admit that you liked Logan. As a person. He happened to be the most physically appealing person you’d ever laid eyes on, but you were learning things about him that you liked, too. “It’s my job to know these things, Logan.” But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also enjoy it.
“It won’t be your job forever,” he pointed out. “You gonna just forget all that stuff when you leave? File it away in some cabinet somewhere until I make my next big mistake?” There was a mischievous spark in his eye as he asked.
Couldn’t forget you if I wanted to and you know it. You shook your head. “Still have a few weeks here.”
“Too bad,” he muttered, and you couldn’t tell what he meant- too bad that you were leaving soon? Too bad that you’d have to move on to another client? Too bad that you were still an employee and therefore off limits? Don’t be stupid, he can’t be interested in you when he’s got runway models on speed dial.
You cleared your throat. Change the subject. “Let’s talk about the Delos anniversary party. It’s coming up, and it’s the last event I’ll be on for. I’ve outlined some points that I think are important to stick to…” You watched the twitch of his lips as you brought it back to business. Is that...disappointment?
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
When it was finally time for the anniversary gala, the unofficial end to your contract with Delos Inc. and your time with Logan, you’d felt tense in a way you’d never felt at the end of an assignment before. Everything had gone perfectly, and Cynthia was more than pleased with the updates that you’d been giving her. But the last week leading up to the gala had been the most contentious with Logan. You’d reminded him that he shouldn’t worry about who to bring, that he should focus on celebrating the Delos brand and the success that the company has enjoyed, to which he replied that he wanted you to be his date.
“Logan. That would destroy everything we’ve been working on this whole time.” Is he fucking serious?
“Would just be nice to take someone to one of these things that actually knew me, that gave a fuck about more than my money.” He shrugged. “Can’t tell me you’re not interested.”
Son of a bitch. “Logan.” Of course I’m interested but that would ruin everything for both of us. “Come on, don’t be ridiculous.”
He narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together. “No. Wouldn’t want to be ridiculous. Alright then, I’ll see you at the party. You can take one of the Hosts as your date if you want.” Hitting the “want” with a little more aggression than necessary, he turned on his heel and exited your office then, leaving you speechless and confused. What the fuck was that about?
For the most part, he’d stuck to the plan for the party. He’d chosen a tried and true date- a model named Raife that he’d been seen with plenty of times and who had never tried to exploit him or use him or do or say anything damaging. He’d made the speech that you’d written, he’d shook all the right hands and refrained from drinking too heavily. He hadn’t occupied the same square foot as you the entire evening, though you’d felt his eyes on you plenty of times, and they seemed pleased that you hadn’t come with anyone- even more pleased at your seeming distaste for the perfection of the Hosts that were present. All in all, he’d been behaving perfectly all night. But now that the party was winding down, getting into its final hour, he seemed hell-bent on raising a red flag. The intimate way he was interacting with Raife finally got your attention, and you’d seen him grin as you set your empty glass down on your way across the room.
You cleared your throat as you came to stand before him, arms crossed over your chest. “Logan, can I have a word with you?”
He remained seated, one arm draped over Raife’s shoulder. Instead of answering you, he nudged his date and turned to him. “See? What’d I tell you? She’s here to yell at me.” He looked up at you, shit eating grin on his face. “Go ahead, then.”
“A private word, please, Logan?” You arched one eyebrow to show that you meant business.
“I am in trouble,” he joked to Raife, who matched Logan’s smile with one of his own. Despite the teasing and the hard time he was obviously trying to give you, Logan stood and followed you out a nearby door into the empty hallway. A clock on the wall showed that it was just minutes to midnight and the end of the event.
“Logan, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” You asked, thoroughly annoyed with him for how he’d been acting ever since you told him that you couldn’t be his date a few days prior. “You’re just throwing everything we worked on away? Why?”
“So it worked?” His eyes flicked up to the clock and then back to you as a smirk grew on his face.
You sighed, utterly exasperated. You liked Logan. You’d come to think of him more as a friend than a client, learning about him, learning how to deal with him- how to deal with him when he was being a shit like he was now. But you also liked Logan, and because of that, you couldn’t wait for this job to be over, to be back in New York and far away from the thing you wanted most but couldn’t have. “What are you talking about? What worked?”
He watched the second hand tick up towards the twelve on the clock before taking a step towards you. “You’re jealous.” He licked his bottom lip, running his tongue along it.
“Jealous? Logan, what-”
Another step. “Raife knows I just needed someone for the night, you know. And technically,” the clock chimed midnight as he pointed to it, eyes firmly on you. “Technically, your services are no longer required here. You don’t work for me or with me or…”
“Logan. You can’t just…” you shook your head. Is he serious? He wanted my attention? Because he… “Logan, we can’t.” I want to, though.
He took one more step until there were only inches between you. He was careful not to touch you, but you felt your skin tingle at the thought that he was close enough to. “Why not?” he asked softly, softer than you’d heard him speak for the entire six months, much softer than the tone he’d taken with you in the past few days. “Why can’t we… I like you...you...you know me…”
I do know you, Logan, I know you too well. “Logan…”
He stood straight and put on his boardroom face, speaking your name in an authoritative tone. “Your services at Delos are no longer required.” He held the face for a few seconds, then let his smirk slide back across his lips. “And as such, I’d like to take you out.”
You swallowed, head spinning. What would Cynthia say? Is this even happening? I can’t, he’s...I mean, he’s...goddamnit. “Logan, I… my career, I… I can’t see my clients, I-”
“I’m not your client anymore. And I don’t plan to need your company’s services ever again...As boring as the last six months have been,” you rolled your eyes and so did he and despite yourself you felt a grin forming. “I’ve learned a lot from you...not just about how to save face, but about how I deserve to be treated and talked to and…”
“You deserve respect, Logan, and happiness and-”
“Then come out with me. Please. No one’s ever treated me like you have and...you didn’t just do what the job required, you bothered to get to know me. You gave a shit about me and not just the bottom line. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think you were gorgeous.” He dropped his voice. “And I never lie.”
“Logan, you don’t know how much I want to say yes, it’s just-”
“Then say yes. We don’t have to go out right away, you can go back to New York and then I can-” he shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ll come out there in a few weeks and it won’t be connected to work at all. Just...just say yes.”
You thought it through as much as you could with two glasses of champagne and Logan’s intense stare swirling through your brain. If we wait a while...if I go back home first… if I’m no longer connected to him for work… fuck it. He was over the top and loud and unapologetic. He was magnetic and attractive and you were just as enamoured by his personality as you were by his smile and his eyes. You liked Logan Delos, more than you thought possible when you first heard that you’d be working with him, and he was standing before you telling you the exact same thing. “Yes, Logan.”
His mouth dropped open but he snapped it shut, eyes warming and smile growing. “Yes?”
You laughed and nodded. “Yes. I’ll go out with you. In two weeks. In New York. And Logan?”
“Yeah?” His smile changed the tone of his voice with how genuine it was.
“I never want to work for you again.”
He laughed then, checking both sides of the hall before taking your hand and bringing it to his lips. They lingered on your knuckles and you felt warmth spread from your hand, up your arm and throughout your chest. It was the most chaste kiss he’d ever given anyone, but the way he kept his eyes locked on yours as he let his teeth graze your skin told you that he was capable of much more. “Deal,” he promised as he pulled away, fingertips brushing your palm before letting go of your hand.
I. Gamegou Online And Mobile Privacy Policy: Introduction Gamegou know that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. We respect the privacy rights of consumers and recognize the importance of protecting the information collected about you. We have adopted this global online Privacy Policy to explain how we store and use personal and non-personal information we collect online on our websites, during your use of our online products and/or services (including online game play) and on mobile platforms. This policy does not cover information provided online in response to job postings.
II. What Is Personal Information And When Does Gamegou Collect It? Gamegou collects both personal and non-personal consumer information. Personal information collected by Gamegou is discussed below in this section. Personal information is information that identifies you and that can be used alone, to contact you on-line or off-line. Gamegou may collect personal information from our online visitors during:
- Contest registration and prize acceptance;
- Warranty registration and requests;
- Customer support and/or technical service requests; - Player match up and other head-to-head online competitions;
- Registration for games and/or special game-specific events;
- Newsletter subscriptions, referral services, and other marketing surveys and email campaigns;
- Registration for Origin and/or other service accounts;
- Creation of a personal profile;
- Product, service and/or subscription orders;
- Service requests from third party service providers on our site;
- Access to our products and/or services on social networks or other third party services;
- Otherwise through use of our software, mobile or online services where personal information is required for use and/or participation. Information collected will vary depending upon the activity and may include your name, email address, phone number, home address, birth date, mobile phone number and credit card information. Visitors to Simface Mobile may be asked to provide the name of their mobile service carrier, model of their mobile phone and a valid mobile number so that we may provide purchase instructions directly to their mobile phone. In that context, your mobile number will only be used to send you a text message with a link to download your game and will not be retained for any other purpose. Prize winners may be required to provide their Social Security or other identification number for tax purposes, and will be used only for prize fulfillment.
III. What Happens To The Information Gamegou Collects?
A. How Gamegou Uses Your Information Gamegou uses your information to fulfill your specific requests, purchase orders and to send you purchase confirmation and other account-related information. In addition, the personal information you provide will allow us to send you messages about things including new products, features, enhancements, special offers, upgrade opportunities, contests and events of interest. You may also later opt out of such communications sent via email. Otherwise, Gamegou uses personal and non-personal information, both individually and combined together, to better enhance your user experience, improve our products and services, understand the behavior and preferences of our customers, to troubleshoot technical problems, to serve advertising, for authentication purposes, to enforce our Terms of Service, to ensure proper functioning of our products and services as well as to help improve them. In addition, we combine non-personal information with personal information, such as an email address, for purposes including providing excellent customer service, administering loyalty programs and tailoring our communications, offerings, web pages or game play
B. Will Gamegou Share My Information With Third Parties? Gamegou will never share your personally identifiable information with third parties without your consent. We may, however, share non-personally identifiable, aggregated and/or public information with third parties. There may be circumstances where you may share information on your own. Please see section XI for more details about your rights to information you share publicly on Simface including user generated content, forums, blogs, and profiles. You may also opt in to allow Gamegou to share your personal information with companies and organizations that provide products or services that we believe may be of interest to you. To opt out of further communications from a marketing partner or sponsor with whom your information has been shared, please contact that partner or sponsor directly. Gamegou does not disclose any personal information about children under 18 years of age who have registered on any of our websites to third parties, or share or disclose personal information other than as set forth in this policy, provided however, that in the event of a merger, acquisition, or the unlikely event of bankruptcy, management of Gamegou customer information may be transferred to its successor or assign regardless of age. From time to time, Gamegou employs third party contractors to collect personal information on our behalf to provide email delivery, product, prize or promotional fulfillment, contest administration, credit card processing, shipping or other services on our sites. When requesting these services, you may be asked to supply your name, mailing address, telephone number and email address to our contractors. We ask some third party contractors, such as credit agencies, data analytics or market research firms, to supplement personal information that you provide to us for our own marketing and demographic studies, so that we can consistently improve our sites and related advertising to better meet our visitors’ needs and preferences. To enrich our understanding of individual customers, we tie this information to the personal information you provide to us. When our third party agents or service providers collect and/or have access any information other than non-personal, anonymous and/or aggregated data, Gamegou requires that they use data consistently with our stated privacy policy. These third parties are prohibited from using your personal information for any other purpose without your specific consent. You will be notified before your personal information is collected by any third party that is not our agent/service provider, so you can make an informed choice as to whether or not to share your information with that party. We may also access and disclose personal information, including personal communications, in connection with report abuse functions in our products and services, to enforce legal rights and comply with the law, or to comply with an order from a government entity or other competent authority, or when we have reason to believe that a disclosure is necessary to address potential or actual injury or interference with our rights, property, operations, users or others who may be harmed or may suffer loss or damage, or when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, combat fraud and/or comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on Simface.
IV. How Does Gamegou Protect Your Personal Information? Gamegou understands the importance of keeping your information safe and secure. Gamegou will make commercially reasonable efforts to protect your personal information and ensure the security of our systems. When you enter sensitive financial information (such as a credit card number) on our order forms, we encrypt the transmission of that information using commercially reasonable methods. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however. We cannot guarantee that your information will not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. We cannot assume responsibility or liability for unauthorized access to our servers and systems.
V. Third Party Sites. Our website may contain advertising or services which link to other websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The fact that we link to a website is not an endorsement, authorization or representation of our affiliation with that third party. If you click on a link to a third party site, including on an advertisement, you will leave the Gamegou site you are visiting and go to the site you selected. Because we cannot control the activities of third parties, we cannot accept responsibility for any use of your personal information by such third parties, and we cannot guarantee that they will adhere to the same privacy and security practices as Gamegou. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any other service provider from whom you request services. If you visit a third party website that is linked to an Gamegou site, you should consult that site’s privacy policy before providing any personal information.
VI. Accessing And Deleting Your Personal Information. You may request that we delete any personal information that we have collected from/about you. However, we may retain personal information as authorized under applicable law, such as personal information required as necessary to provide our services, protect our business and systems from fraudulent activity, to debug and identify errors that impair existing functionality, as necessary for us, or others, to exercise their free speech or other rights, comply with law enforcement requests pursuant to lawful process, for scientific or historical research, for our own internal purposes reasonably related to your relationship with us, or to comply with legal obligations. We need certain types of information so that we can provide our services. If you ask us to delete it, you may no longer be able to access or use our services
VII. Contact Information & Complaints Process E-Mail: [email protected]
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