adventchallenge 2010: 1/25 (for theillusionist)
Prompt from theillusionist: technophile bodyguard for a mage! mage is interested in technology but not sure where to start (or the other way around). awkward hijinks!
Clearly I didn't use all of the prompt--the story got away from me. Still, I hope you enjoy it!
Warning: nsfw language.
for December 1st, 2010 (theillusionist)
Jude hit things. He was a bodyguard, and when the body one guards is mage Sullivan of the Sullivan & Leif Magitech Corporation, hitting things is part of the job description.
Jude was very good at hitting things-he'd just broken an idiot's wrist who tried to grab Sullivan by the collar during a consultation. Jude's toned muscles had rippled under his golden skin as he gave the man's wrist a curt snap, before shoving him back into the chair across Sullivan's desk.
Sullivan liked watching Jude hit things. Whenever it happened, he remembered why Jude should definitely fuck him as soon as humanly possible. After two years of working together-or, rather, with Jude as his subordinate-Sullivan was used to hiding this desire. Which was lucky, because Sullivan's job required Jude to hit things a lot.
"Would you like me to fix that?" Sullivan asked as evenly as he could, given his fervent wish for the customer across from him to try something, anything, that would give him an excuse to watch Jude be aggressive again. He reached out, his hand slight and fingers overlong, like some bug-human hybrid that could snap shut at the slightest touch.
"It's fine," the customer hissed, cradling his wrist. Sweat dotted his upper lip. "It's…it's fine." He eyed Jude over Sullivan's shoulder, and paled more than he already had.
Sullivan wished looking over his shoulder was appropriate at times like this. Sadly, it wasn't. "So you need a mage and technophile team," he said, drawing his hand back to the file on the desk in front of him, "for a magitech film studio facility. If you will supply us with the building blueprints and allow our chosen team to tour your facility, we can give you an estimate."
The man agreed, and left as quickly as he was able. Sullivan assumed he made an appointment with his secretary, but would've been just as happy if he hadn't. "Our resident field technophile is on vacation," he mused. "And lord knows if I can barely stand that man, Leif will kill him herself."
Jude smothered a laugh, and Sullivan grinned to himself. "It's true," he said. "Sit down, it's unnerving when you hover where I can't see you."
"I know," Jude said, striding around the desk and sitting down. "That's half the fun."
Sullivan rolled his eyes, and privately wondered what else Jude did around him that was mostly for fun. After a few minutes of silence, Jude's watchful, Sullivan's spent reading the file on his latest client, Sullivan decided enough was enough. "When are you going to volunteer?" he asked, eyeing Jude.
Jude's blank expression only led Sullivan to believe more strongly in his guilt. "Volunteer?"
"To go with me as the technophile on this stupid installation?"
Jude flushed. "I'm not-"
"Jude, when was the last time you couldn't get something with wires and electricity to do what you wanted it to?"
"Uh-"
"You can get things I own to work, and heaven knows they're saturated with enough magic to break them for good. I don't care that you've not been to school for it, you're better without it than most of the people on Leif's staff. Why haven't you applied for a position yet?"
It wasn't often Sullivan made jude nervous. It was a good look for him: unsure, shy, blushing. "I thought you needed school to apply," he hedged.
Sullivan raised an eyebrow.
"And-you had enough technophiles for a long time. My application wouldn't have even mattered."
Sullivan's eyes narrowed.
"I'm better as a bodyguard."
Sullivan huffed. "You're lucky this desk has a border between you and me, because I really want to kick you right now. And you're not allowed to kick me back."
Jude snorted. "That is true. But if I were on staff as a technophile, I would be very likely to kick you back."
"Great, so you've thought about the position. You're coming with me whenever that blasted walk-through is."
"Yes, as-"
"As a technophile."
Jude looked away. Sullivan though there was more defeat in his eyes than there should be, given technophiles were paid much more than bodyguards.
A few minutes of such despondence were all Sullivan had the patience for. "Why don't you really want to become one of our technophiles?" It was much more socially acceptable for them to fuck if they were business associates than employer and subordinate.
Jude pursed his lips, then looked at Sullivan with that dangerous expression usually reserved for idiots like the client from earlier. Sullivan felt a thrill of fear curl up his spine. "Technophiles get shunted off all over the place," he said.
"So do you. We just got back from Santorini last week."
"Right. We."
Sullivan felt like he was missing something.
"I enjoy being your bodyguard," Jude said.
"I enjoy you being my bodyguard," Sullivan said in the same tone of voice.
"So why are you pushing me to become a technophile?"
"We need one."
Jude glared at him.
"I need one," Sullivan admitted. "No one else works with me as well as you."
That got a chuckle out of Jude, breaking his scary face and getting him to relax his shoulders a tiny bit. "You are pretty hard to work with."
"See?" Sullivan grinned. "You can still make sure no one hits me, if you like. I just need someone I can rely on to do this, too."
At last, Jude nodded. "Alright, I'll be your techno-bodyguard-whatever." He waved a hand and stood back up, walking around the desk in two long strides to hover just over Sullivan's shoulder again.
"Good," Sullivan said, peering down at the file again. "What are your thoughts on office relationships?"
"They're fine, I guess. As long as they don't interfere with work. …Why?"
"Hm." Sullivan looked up, smiling brightly. "What are the chances I'll get you to fuck me over this desk in the near future?"
Jude blushed to his ears, and his mouth opened and closed.
"Technically, you're not my direct employee anymore-well, not entirely. Leif handles the technophiles. So if office relationships aren't a problem for you, and I-what are you doing?"
Jude merely closed the client's file and slipped it into the top drawer of Sullivan's desk. He was still flushed, but there was a gleam in his eyes when he said, "I'm making sure me fucking you on this desk doesn't interfere with work."
Clearly I didn't use all of the prompt--the story got away from me. Still, I hope you enjoy it!
Warning: nsfw language.
for December 1st, 2010 (theillusionist)
Jude hit things. He was a bodyguard, and when the body one guards is mage Sullivan of the Sullivan & Leif Magitech Corporation, hitting things is part of the job description.
Jude was very good at hitting things-he'd just broken an idiot's wrist who tried to grab Sullivan by the collar during a consultation. Jude's toned muscles had rippled under his golden skin as he gave the man's wrist a curt snap, before shoving him back into the chair across Sullivan's desk.
Sullivan liked watching Jude hit things. Whenever it happened, he remembered why Jude should definitely fuck him as soon as humanly possible. After two years of working together-or, rather, with Jude as his subordinate-Sullivan was used to hiding this desire. Which was lucky, because Sullivan's job required Jude to hit things a lot.
"Would you like me to fix that?" Sullivan asked as evenly as he could, given his fervent wish for the customer across from him to try something, anything, that would give him an excuse to watch Jude be aggressive again. He reached out, his hand slight and fingers overlong, like some bug-human hybrid that could snap shut at the slightest touch.
"It's fine," the customer hissed, cradling his wrist. Sweat dotted his upper lip. "It's…it's fine." He eyed Jude over Sullivan's shoulder, and paled more than he already had.
Sullivan wished looking over his shoulder was appropriate at times like this. Sadly, it wasn't. "So you need a mage and technophile team," he said, drawing his hand back to the file on the desk in front of him, "for a magitech film studio facility. If you will supply us with the building blueprints and allow our chosen team to tour your facility, we can give you an estimate."
The man agreed, and left as quickly as he was able. Sullivan assumed he made an appointment with his secretary, but would've been just as happy if he hadn't. "Our resident field technophile is on vacation," he mused. "And lord knows if I can barely stand that man, Leif will kill him herself."
Jude smothered a laugh, and Sullivan grinned to himself. "It's true," he said. "Sit down, it's unnerving when you hover where I can't see you."
"I know," Jude said, striding around the desk and sitting down. "That's half the fun."
Sullivan rolled his eyes, and privately wondered what else Jude did around him that was mostly for fun. After a few minutes of silence, Jude's watchful, Sullivan's spent reading the file on his latest client, Sullivan decided enough was enough. "When are you going to volunteer?" he asked, eyeing Jude.
Jude's blank expression only led Sullivan to believe more strongly in his guilt. "Volunteer?"
"To go with me as the technophile on this stupid installation?"
Jude flushed. "I'm not-"
"Jude, when was the last time you couldn't get something with wires and electricity to do what you wanted it to?"
"Uh-"
"You can get things I own to work, and heaven knows they're saturated with enough magic to break them for good. I don't care that you've not been to school for it, you're better without it than most of the people on Leif's staff. Why haven't you applied for a position yet?"
It wasn't often Sullivan made jude nervous. It was a good look for him: unsure, shy, blushing. "I thought you needed school to apply," he hedged.
Sullivan raised an eyebrow.
"And-you had enough technophiles for a long time. My application wouldn't have even mattered."
Sullivan's eyes narrowed.
"I'm better as a bodyguard."
Sullivan huffed. "You're lucky this desk has a border between you and me, because I really want to kick you right now. And you're not allowed to kick me back."
Jude snorted. "That is true. But if I were on staff as a technophile, I would be very likely to kick you back."
"Great, so you've thought about the position. You're coming with me whenever that blasted walk-through is."
"Yes, as-"
"As a technophile."
Jude looked away. Sullivan though there was more defeat in his eyes than there should be, given technophiles were paid much more than bodyguards.
A few minutes of such despondence were all Sullivan had the patience for. "Why don't you really want to become one of our technophiles?" It was much more socially acceptable for them to fuck if they were business associates than employer and subordinate.
Jude pursed his lips, then looked at Sullivan with that dangerous expression usually reserved for idiots like the client from earlier. Sullivan felt a thrill of fear curl up his spine. "Technophiles get shunted off all over the place," he said.
"So do you. We just got back from Santorini last week."
"Right. We."
Sullivan felt like he was missing something.
"I enjoy being your bodyguard," Jude said.
"I enjoy you being my bodyguard," Sullivan said in the same tone of voice.
"So why are you pushing me to become a technophile?"
"We need one."
Jude glared at him.
"I need one," Sullivan admitted. "No one else works with me as well as you."
That got a chuckle out of Jude, breaking his scary face and getting him to relax his shoulders a tiny bit. "You are pretty hard to work with."
"See?" Sullivan grinned. "You can still make sure no one hits me, if you like. I just need someone I can rely on to do this, too."
At last, Jude nodded. "Alright, I'll be your techno-bodyguard-whatever." He waved a hand and stood back up, walking around the desk in two long strides to hover just over Sullivan's shoulder again.
"Good," Sullivan said, peering down at the file again. "What are your thoughts on office relationships?"
"They're fine, I guess. As long as they don't interfere with work. …Why?"
"Hm." Sullivan looked up, smiling brightly. "What are the chances I'll get you to fuck me over this desk in the near future?"
Jude blushed to his ears, and his mouth opened and closed.
"Technically, you're not my direct employee anymore-well, not entirely. Leif handles the technophiles. So if office relationships aren't a problem for you, and I-what are you doing?"
Jude merely closed the client's file and slipped it into the top drawer of Sullivan's desk. He was still flushed, but there was a gleam in his eyes when he said, "I'm making sure me fucking you on this desk doesn't interfere with work."