Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The nutty aroma of the place wafted out, brushing against the face of any patrons that find their way inside, door tingling in response. You can hear the grinding of beans, milk being steamed, orders being taken, all this chaos for one drink, one drink served in many, many different ways. He knows he doesn’t belong here, not attracted to standing in line, waiting far too long for something that barely agrees with the human body. Another scent catches him, a sourness, barely noticed by any but him, but he still turns his lip, turning his attention to the barista focusing keenly on the frother, trying desperately to not touch the metal. 

A moment, he holds, curious where this might go, watching as the drink is carefully built with far too hot, burnt milk, cheap beans, and fake sugar. All into a mug, for a stupid design that’s going to fade soon enough. A ridiculous show and a ridiculous mask for his prey to wear. 

“I finished remaking your drink, ma’am.” A bored voice drones on, about to back away from the counter until said person finally arrives, already looking for an issue.

She puffs, “Excuse me, this better be extra hot this time.” Grabbing the mug, she fumbles momentarily, narrowly avoiding burning her hands on the ceramic. “The other barista, Juniper, makes it right the first time.”

“That’s a shame, she was attacked by a sentient plant and is currently hospitalized for said plant related injuries.” The barista responds flatly, turning away from the woman, giving attention to the new people in the lobby. Haha. 

“Hey, how can I help you? Wait.” A pause, the barista stares, narrowing his eyes at the man. Victor relishes the time he takes to realize who he is, almost able to taste the blood pressure rising. “Shouldn’t you have a personal assistant here for you or something?” The lobby turns into murmurs, with the collective realization, many rejoicing to be in the presence of the ever powerful philanthropist and leader of a top genetics corporation.

‘Wow! I can’t believe he’s really here!’

‘He’s even more handsome in person…’

“You’re funny, but no.” Victor steps forward to the bar, “I think me being here personally would be more convincing to you.” 

A swallow, a heart jumps.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Arms are drawn in, and he blinks, brows furrowed, making hard eye contact with the expensively dressed man, fighting the amber gaze. 

“Hm.” He grins, baring his teeth only barely, light catching what one might think is a fang, but that’s unreasonable for any person to actually have. “For being so nosy you’d think you wouldn’t leave back doors to yourself, especially when I have many people to protect myself, and you’re just… you.” 

A blink. 

“And if that’s even true?”

Victor leans in, already towering over the other man, nails clicking on the bar. “Well, that’s the part where I ask you when you’re next available to discuss your excessive obsession with me. It’s a shame really, I wasn’t expecting you to get so sloppy with me of all people.” He can’t help but savor the way he shrinks under his gaze, afraid of the next move, his fallible human body unable to not present his fear. Further in, the man can feel Victor’s breath against his cheek, likely the most human contact he’s had in weeks, whispering a name that turns his blood cold. “ Midnight .”

The barista blanches, immediately prattling on, “We close at 6 but it takes me an extra half an hour to finish cleaning, depending on how much cleaning I get done beforehand.”

“Good.” Victor reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a card and placing it on the counter. “Call this when you’re done and a car will collect you. We will discuss this further.” He turns back and swiftly leaves the shop empty handed, leaving the barista stunned and the patrons starstruck. Don’t try to run, because I will always find you. 

Expression blank, Victor is gleaming on the inside, pleased with how well the interaction went, hopeful that the young coder is well-aware of the precarious situation he put himself in. Truly, this wouldn’t have even happened if he hadn't gotten cocky from breaching weaker systems and stealing precarious and sensitive information from other conglomerates. Whether it be through social engineering or trying to find back ends in company platforms, he’s managed to find something on someone, but not Victor. It seemed as if the entire internet was as it was and the general populous consensus was that the man simply did not exist prior to the rapid growth of Raptor Dyne in Boston. 

It seemed like such a large prize, having also been offered generously from competitors to find dirt on him, so he couldn’t help himself, too attracted to the idea of extra padding. 

Victor is certain he was warned prior to taking on the project, being told that those who tried disappeared in some fashion or came back denying any existence of any prior history, claiming Victor is as he is now, with no past to be found, and then they would always abruptly retire. 

It was a treasure, being able to personally deal with these nuisances, the appeal of mental games too dear. It’s easy to point a gun at someone and make demands, say you’ll murder their family as well, but bending someone’s will so they make themselves squirm, scared of the possibilities, what could be, so much so they do all the work themselves. 

He doesn’t have to lift a single finger to make them tie their own ropes. 

But this? Twenty something year old, putting on a front to everyone that they're no one, slaving away at a low paying labor intensive job? A shield while the side gig pays dividends, and the wolf waits in sheep’s clothing until the highest bidder wins their hand. So Victor knows this scared act won’t last, once he realizes the prospects at hand, he’ll fold to the whims and wants of him, all in the name of weak human greed. 

Everyone knows his moniker, m1dnite , but no one knows who he is in the real world, until he was caught in Victor’s web. 

He turns away from the car, looking back momentarily as the door is opened, making eye contact with the barista as he glares from inside the shop. 

“To the office.”

———

“What the fuck was that Sebastian?” His manager shoots out from the back, face red.

He flinches, glaring at the woman. “What do you mean ‘what the fuck was that?’”

“You know what I mean! You couldn’t get the richest guy in this city to buy a drink? You couldn’t act the littlest bit hospitable to the man that brought everything to this place?” She turns away, sighing.

“It’s not like that,” Sebastian reaches for her, gingerly touching her forearm. “He gave me his card.”

She turns rapidly, expression changing to glee. “That’s good right? That’s good for the shop?” Pausing as she collects her thoughts she shoots out another comment, “Can I see it?”

Sebastian pulls it out and flashes the front, the embossed logo glinting in the sharp lights, quickly sneaking it away after. It’s becoming slowly more difficult to hide the situation. but it could be worse, he supposes. “Guess he wants me for his on-campus coffee shop.”

“Sebastian!” She swipes his arm. “That’s not good for us, but actually, I know you’re already too good for us, you really are the best barista here… So when is the interview?”

“Uh, excuse me, can I order a drink?” Sebastian turns to the register to see the patron waiting nervously. 

“Oh yes, sorry! What can I get for you?”

“Can I just have an iced latte with two pumps of strawberry? For Fi.”

“Sure.” The customer points their phone to the screen and it dings. They sign the digital receipt and move down to the end of the bar, awaiting their drink.

Kim turns back, “When is it?”

“The what?” Sebastian glances back from tamping the ground beans. 

Kim shuffles and prepares the rest of the drink while he works on pulling the shots. “The interview!”

“Ah.” He nods. “The interview. With the big man himself. Yes.” The customer waiting perks up. “I told him when I’ll be off around, so I guess probably then. I’m still on the edge about going.” Teetering on the line of maybe a huge check or being eaten alive. 

“What do you mean? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!” The drink finished, Kim hands it to Fi, still standing by. “Enjoy!”

“Wait,” Fi stops them, “Victor Veloci came here to talk to you personally?” She nods her head to Sebastian at this.

“I-I guess.” Sebastian stutters. 

“That’s pretty big, but I wouldn’t work with him. He doesn’t take environmentalism as seriously as he says he does. Though, he probably thinks it’s good ‘cause it’s his environment.” Fi shrugs, taking her drink in hand and leaving a stunned Sebastian and more confused Kim. He drops the towel and turns tail to the employee bathroom, promptly losing his lunch to the bowl. It’s bad when your life is threatened by your perceived enemy, but it’s even worse when people from high school show up to make strange metaphors at you. Another heave, a cough, and a sob. Once making sure nothing more was to come, he flushed the toilet and tried to wash out his mouth with the sink water. 

He tries to convince himself this isn’t real, tries splashing cold water in his face, all the old tricks. No matter which way, though, he was royally screwed. There’s no moving on from this, no leaving the country and fleeing somewhere safe, not when someone like Victor has his name. Disappearing regardless just extends the inevitable. He is wanted, red dot right on his skull, burning straight through. 

So he’ll bite, see the consequences out. 

He opens the door and shouts to his boss, “You know, Kim.”

“Huh?”

“Can I actually just clock out for the day now?”

“Sure, you know where to find me if you need me! Good luck, Sebby!”

4:52 p.m., he’s standing on the sidewalk, staring at the card and phone in hand, thumb nervously hovering over the first number “Jesus. Fucking, do it already!” He taps in the numbers and calls. An instant trace, tracking his location, a robotic voice answers, letting him know a vehicle is on the way. Sebastian fights with the idea of tossing the phone and running up until the moment a sleek black car with tinted windows rolls up, and the rear passenger door pops open.

“Mister Holt?” 

“Yes, that’s me.” He gingerly slides in and the door closes, locking once the car releases its brakes and makes its way. “Where am I being taken?” 

“Raptor Dyne campus, there you’ll be escorted to meet with Mister Veloci personally by yours truly.”

“Sensational.” The ride goes silent without the hum of the radio, leaving him alone with his thoughts, continuing to brew, wary of the next steps. There is no conversation to be had with the lackey, he simply parks at the massive complex and leads the other away. It’s dark in the parking structure, built to be out of sight, and the winding and turns are difficult to discern fully. 

It took two elevators to get somewhere proper, one out of the garage, into the daylight of an artificially green walkway with single trees barely spattered about, and into the main corporate building, tall and imposing in the skyline. A massive statement towards something, innovation? He couldn’t tell, had no clear direction on Victor’s overarching goal here. Inside, Sebastian is greeted to a sleek, modern interior, decorated in hues of red and black, extremely on brand for the company, and a receptionist at the head. She nods knowingly to the driver, going back to typing not too soon afterwards. The second elevator, placed adjacent to the lobby, surrounded by three others, took them up towards the offices.

Office, rather, it quickly became apparent to him. The chauffeur motioned for him to leave, pointing him towards the door to his office. This wordless exchange deepened the pit in his stomach, almost considering running off just to go throw up again. It’s never felt more real, with any action prior to this being done in a haze, one that was... unaccepting of the situation at hand. However, seeing the nameplate seated proudly on the door, the danger fully dawns on him. 

A deep breath, he raises his hand from the vice grip on the strap of his bag, and gingerly taps on the door. The man inside beckons him in, telling him to open it himself. Sebastian finds himself in a large office area, minimalist but still austere. Victor is seated at his desk, leaning with his cheek rested on a fist. 

“You’re earlier than expected.” He states, motioning at a chair for Sebastian. “I hope I didn’t make you too nervous.” 

The shorter man slowly walks across to the desk and sits, conscious of each move he makes, unable to break the hard gaze. “I’m fine. My manager was all too excited to see what would happen if I showed up.” A lie, close to the truth, but a lie nonetheless that Victor raises an eyebrow to. “Does it matter?”

“No, but I just wanted to see what you might say.” He grins, shifting in his chair. 

‘Then you’re just kind of a dick.’ Sebastian bites his tongue, responding with a flat look.

“Well. I have a proposition… for you.” Victor states, drawing out the syllables. 

Part of him thought it would come to this, since plenty found themselves in this situation, though not in front such a powerful man, on his terms in his territory. It makes his stomach twist, the idea of partnering with someone so against his personal ideals, especially when this would likely be permanent. “What do you have in mind?” But it’s that, or likely worse.

“I require your expertise, since you seem so good at nosing around. That means you’d be working under me directly, for me. And of course,” Victor pulls out a monogrammed notepad and pen from a drawer, quickly scribbling on it. “There will be benefits to keep you from straying too far.” Folding the paper he slides it towards Sebastian who takes it in hand, reading it, eyes widening the further down he gets the paper. Victor shifts, watching and waiting for the other man’s response. 

Slamming the paper down on the table, he pushes himself up, “How the fuck did you know all of this shit?” The anger in the room is palpable and Victor finds himself growing more pleased at how he’s cornered the other.

“You don’t hide yourself as well as you think you do.” Victor retorts, pulling out a file. “I managed to accumulate quite a bit and…”

Sebastian interrupts, trying to grab it from the other man, but he whips it away, leaving the man leaning onto the desk reaching for nothing but air.  “What the fuck? What other shit do you have on me?”

He scoffs, “Why would I tell you?” Grabbing Sebastian’s collar he pulls him even closer, hot breath hitting his face. Sebastian struggles, holding onto the offending forearm. “When you’ve been trying to do it to me first?” 

“Now,” Victor pushes the man down. “Are you going to accept my offer or not?” He holds out his hand.

“Fine.” Sebastian unwillingly takes it, caught off guard by the inhuman strength of nearly having his hand crushed.

“Good.” 

Chapter Text

For Sebastian, the transition was difficult, more so when it’s as if you’re being held hostage, an invisible gun pointed at his head. It’s weird doing something you used to do alone at night as a side gig, becoming the main deal, coming to work everyday to do just that. But… the benefits aren’t that bad, truly. Despite the whole being forced to work against your will, the pay is great (and he is definitely not getting paid the same as everyone on his floor) insurance has insane coverage, and having company retainers on hold for legal issues will definitely come in handy at one point. 

It’s hard having the incessant awareness that Victor knows so much, though, he did unto him what Sebastian was planning on doing all along. Almost dehumanizing, knowing that there’s a folder out there, filled with almost anything he’s done on the internet in the past ten years. Likely all laid out, connected by thin lines of code, lining it all up together. It’s difficult, now, approaching his home set up, no longer able to load up the browser he wants to, the cowl of anonymity fully torn from him. Partially, the work he does redeems it; never to the point it’s a proper replacement, not unless a lot of people start getting a lot more accepting of the more illicit side of his skills.

In another, strange, way, the uniform also makes him uneasy. For the most part, in the offices people have to wear regular business wear, though he sees people moving in and out from the biocenter wearing uniforms with masks almost akin to motorbike helmets, all stripped from personality, afraid that any misstep will set the man off on them. It’s creepy as hell. Sebastian feels like he’s learning way more about Victor and his corporation more this way than trying to scry the internet for any signs, since, of course, all employees sign NDAs. 

So far, he hasn’t spoken much since with Victor himself, having been given orders down the line by some other lackey or via email, which makes the whole ‘working directly under me’ feel pretty moot. Regardless, he’s still required to send out a weekly recap of the work he’s done, whether it be strengthening site side security or digging dirt on something else. Which, interestingly enough, led Sebastian down a rabbit hole involving a series of trackers intent on consistently sabotaging Victor’s on the ground work. Again, also surprising because Sebastian soon learnt he wasn’t the only coder threatened to be on the team, though the only one personally threatened, a fact he kept close to himself not to rouse suspicion around him. He was more special than the others, a source of pride laced with guilt.

Within the first week his coworkers blended him in easily, used to the arrival of new blood not via Indeed or ZipRecruiter. They would pat his back, congratulating him on his retirement from internet sleuthing and becoming another corporate cog. At lunch, they joke about how they used to sell personal data. They compare business cards, brags about dinner reservations, and the like. It’s not, quite, what he’s familiar with engaging with. 

It’s difficult to participate fully, not being quite interested in idle chatter. Sebastian was still nervous for a while, unaware that Victor was going to come around a corner and hit him across the head for his transgressions, but it never came. With how little interaction there was, he wondered if Victor was ignorant of his capabilities, or waiting for the right moment to utilize him proper. 

His routine now has become this, getting more and more accustomed to ‘high’ corporate life, already having been used to waking up early for the cafe. Now, instead he just spends the morning more working on looking presentable, trying to tame his dark hair, though the cowlicks and waves do have minds of their own, and figuring out what designer clothes are acceptable enough that they look good, but no one knows how much they were. The dress clothes are easy to mask, but the jewelry, well, he can’t help it, since he was so constrained by food service rules previously and honestly that was the only time he really went outside. So for now, it’s easy to slip on a gold ring or two for flair. It’s an heirloom, he’d say.

Soon enough, the big man himself decides to make his rounds through the departments, eventually landing on cybersecurity. He barely acknowledges the team head’s report, with nothing interesting coming from it. Sebastian himself didn’t even notice his arrival, engrossed in the work at hand, and also how loud his music was didn’t help. It wasn’t until the person next to him patted his shoulder and he looked up to see him towering over him. He’s very… tall, clearly having worked on his intimidating presence.

Sebastian slips off the headset, meeting the man’s gaze. “What’s up?” The other employees cringe, and he catches the mistake only after it passes his lips. 

“Walk with me.” He states, turning on his heel, expecting Sebastian to follow close. Everyone else tries to act like they’re working instead of being glued to the interaction, peering past their screens as Sebastian quickly follows. 

They walk down the hallways, with few people milling about doing their jobs, Victor leading them into a sky bridge overlooking the city, he pauses, staring out the window.

“I’m surprised you haven’t tried anything since you’ve started here. You’ve been very… docile.” 

Sebastian rolls his eyes, “A bio-genetics company doesn’t have what I want. I already know what I need to know about that, like, what? You’re now a capitalist ruler of your own people aimed to increase profit at the expense of others. You paint yourself as a philanthropist to make people turn a blind eye at how poorly you treat your own employees.”The black haired man raises an eyebrow at this. “Like, what’s even the end goal? Sitting in your ivory tower feeling better than everyone else because you have all the wealth? I get it. I know what you’re up to now, just not what you did.” Sebastian stands there, glaring at Victor, waiting for his response, only to be taken off guard by his smug grin. 

“I do enjoy how sure of yourself you are; though you are right in one way, you won’t be finding much of my past here.” It is truly a sight to behold, someone so adamant in their preconceptions that they can’t see the truth right in front of them, and Victor always thought he made himself so obvious with every step he took. But humans are so blind. It’s far too easy to shed old skin and be reborn anew, even when constrained to these human form. “I wonder, would it really even please you to know? There are more interesting things out there.” 

Sebastian can’t help but roll his eyes at that. The mogul can’t be that different from any other person with absurd wealth. “Then what is it? You can’t be so flashy without having some sort of point.”

“Indeed.”  He’s watching a boat pass on the water.

“So?” Sebastian makes a kind of confused hand motion, exacerbated by the lack of answers. Victor’s always been careful with each word, curating a very specific image, even so that each person sees their own version of him. Though, this doesn’t apply to the henchmen, because they aren’t as entertaining.

“It’s a lot of things, but I think I’ll hold out a little longer. It’s interesting to see your guesses, you do make them quite complex…” Turning to Sebastian, he puts a hand on his shoulder, feeling him immediately tense under the soft fabric. “Very fascinating forum posts.” Of course he’d find a way to bring that up during a conversation. For a little while Sebastian had this habit of hanging around a forum, based explicitly on talking trash about other people, whether they be internet personalities or random tech billionaires. So, he ended up being a regular complaining about Victor Veloci, shit talking every news appearance he did, any big company announcements, and the like. 

“Oh, whatever, a famous man is talked about on the internet.”

A chuckle. “You’re the most verbose about it. Take more action about it than others.” He ended up being banned for radical behavior. 

Tsk. Even that can’t be hidden, as unfortunately Sebastian was very forward about his postings, not taking any steps to hide them from his footprint. “I hope the threats of bodily harm were up to your standards.”

“Certainly.”

A pause, both watching the water adjacent to one other. Sebastian feels like he is almost vibrating with nerves. It’s an odd feeling, seeing how Victor takes everything he says in stride, calculating something unknown.

“What’s your plan with me?”

“The time hasn’t come just yet, but I’m waiting for a lead. Once it gets hit with the trace, it’ll be all yours to follow.” 

He remains there, listening to the click of Victor’s shoes get fainter and fainter, breathing once they’re finally inaudible.

——

Sebastian finds himself falling into a routine and it freaks him the fuck out. This is exactly what Victor meant by calling him docile. Forcing him to work the nine to five must have made him numb. He’s found himself coming home, lighting up, and doing whatever watching the day pass. It’s unfulfilling, but somehow it feels content. He misses when things were more exciting.

People do message, call, asking where he’s been but the only thing he can do is warrily update his LinkedIn. Not much you can do when you’re working with the devil. Another text pops up from one of his closer friends, Alex.

Congrats on the promotion.

Keep your enemies closer, I guess

Be over in 10?

Sure

Alex didn’t live far, similarly deciding to make home in the same city, already used to the area having grown up in Massachusetts. They had met online, as is the case with the majority of his other friends, and connected in person once Sebastian moved to Boston. He dealt with a lot regarding Sebastian, basically his entire high school experience and then the moving pains.  He’s grateful for the fact Alex was able to support him throughout that mess. 

Sighing, Sebastian tosses his phone aside on the couch, getting up to clear up some of the clutter before his friend arrives. Tossing away empty takeout containers and old coffee cups from the nearby cafe, he stuffs it away. Some suggest he should have someone come by and clean once a week. He can’t trust having anyone in his place, around his things. For all he knows, they’re either going to stumble on sensitive information of one sort, or other things people shouldn’t see. It’s really just remnants of his parents going through his room too often, rearranging things and criticizing how he lives. 

A knock on the door, and Sebastian is there to unlock it and greet his friend. Alex awaits, tall and lanky, the brunette man smiles upon seeing his face. “Hey.”

Alex nods and makes his way inside, heading to the couch and immediately plopping down. “I’m used to you disappearing for a couple weeks on end, but this is kinda crazy, man.”

“I know…” He shuffles around awkwardly. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“From the beginning?” Alex prods some more, patting for Sebastian to settle down and sit by him. 

He tentatively sits down, wringing his hands, “I don’t know where that is, exactly.” Part of him feels like Victor is still watching, about to snipe him for speaking of the past few days. Although… his new boss hasn’t done anything particularly punishing as of late, other than the initial threat of violence. “I was doing a lot of online posting regarding the Doctor…”

“Yeah, I’m aware of your hateboner for him.” Alex cuts him off, cackling.

Sebastian kicks him, stealing the blanket out from under him. “It’s not a hateboner!” It’s not! As long as he doesn’t remember-

“No, it is. I haven’t forgotten what you said all those weeks ago.” He quickly interjects, ready to reenact the tale. Sebastian swears to every possible god out there that it was because he was too high, too desperate, not because of any other reason. 

“SO- After trying to hit past some security measures I must have tripped something or left some sort of trail to imply it was me because Victor himself turned up to my place of work to personally threaten me into working for him.” A pause. “For a lot of money.”

Eventually, Alex is finally caught up to the month later, where they sit today. “Well, fuck, man.” Sebastian gets up, taking a break from his monologue and retrieves drinks for the both of them, just something to cut the chill in his veins.  

He tosses one to Alex, returning to his prior position, grateful for the meager body heat it retained. “That’s what I mean. I don’t really know where I’m going from here, or what will be needed from me in the future. Nothing seems to make complete sense. I don’t understand just what I’m missing underneath all of this bullshit.” 

“For one, he clearly wants you for something, and you’re one of the only people who can do it. Otherwise, what he’s giving you would’ve drained him out years ago if he did it to every other person forced to work for him.” 

He gives a half shrug, “But what? I’m doing my job as it is, but he doesn’t say anything to me! Literally went out of his way to tell me that I'm supposed to be working for him , and yet, it’s this? Just another desk job?”

“Isn’t that kind of better, though? Since you’re not in active danger, having to answer to him directly.” 

Sebastian takes a long sip of the chilled can in his grasp. “That’s boring. I haven’t- I-... It feels like I can’t do anything I want to anymore. I like looking for things and trying to hunt down interesting information and knowing things . Especially with Victor, like, who knows what he's up to ever.” He already feels himself starting to get a bit woozy, leaning farther into the couch.

Alex looks at him, blinking slowly. “Then do that.” 

“Huh?” 

“You want to know things, then do that. Go search for the stuff you want to. You just can’t share it like you used to. Shitty limitation, but there’s still something of value there for you. Get close to the man, gain his trust.” 

“And if he gets mad and gores me on sight?” 

“Literally why would he do that? He clearly just wants you to be his little coder assistant, the time just hasn’t come to it yet. Find something to entertain yourself.” Alex rises, brushing off his pants. “Besides, if I were you, I’d look into those weird little field trips he likes to take with his minions.” 

Sebastian beams , eyes wide. “You are… so fucking right. Thank you so much for your advice.” His fieldwork! Everyone knows he goes out and does something in whatever nature preserve he finds himself in, but no one has been able to pin it down a hundred percent. That, in turn, he hopes to use in informing the past. There has to be something Victor does now that is still indicative of the man that used to exist years ago.

He waves him off, “Yeah, yeah. You owe me, or whatever, for leading you into something you would have probably, I hope, figured out on your own. Next time, you’re letting me take you to the club with me.” 

——

It took a little bit to devise exactly how to do it, but he thought it should, hopefully, be for the most part, foolproof. First, to find someone who works as one of his ‘henchmen’, as he heard they’re called. He was able to gather a general idea around where they work, partially on the upper floors dedicated to a lab, or out of town, at another research unit. After he discovers their general schedules, and who goes where, he sends an email to Veloci regarding his security clearance. Curious to see if he’d even accommodate the request, he asks to be let in more areas of the building, on the guise of wanting to inspect security measures personally. He’s well aware he knows he’s lying, but he can very well try.

A few days pass, and he finds himself with a rough map of where things should be. Now, all Sebastian is lying in wait until the day comes. Every day before that though, he had to pretend like he wasn’t bursting at the seams with excitement and nerves, unsure if something would go wrong before it even happened or what could happen during the execution of the plan. He prayed Victor wouldn’t somehow jump out of a corner and he was forced to see him in this state. There’s a lot of skills regarding subterfuge he missed out on being stuck behind a computer screen, with some being that it’s difficult to hold up an act while physically present with the person involved. 

Sebastian writes down instructions for where to find the locker room, and pockets it. Lord knows any of his devices could be audited. When Victor decides to up and leave, requiring employees to join him, can be random, with a few days properly being blocked out. One, however, seemed intriguing, apparently requiring more equipment than other excursions, seeing a lot of money being shuffled towards it. 

Field work as something that regularly happened in the company made… somewhat sense. But Victor doing it himself? Peculiar. Most people like him would rarely be in the office, or doing any work of their own, out and about enjoying the high class life by spending their money on lavish vacations or keeping up appearances with a speech at a charity event. He tried to figure out what the guy himself truly likes, but all people had to say was that he’s eccentric and into… dinosaurs? That was obvious, though, everyone knew that and pretended it wasn’t absurd how his name was literally Veloci. Sebastian certainly attempted to convince people that there’s not a chance in hell it’s his real name, with no one actually believing him, some saying it was just because he’s not from the US. 

Regardless, this will be a great chance to see him in a separate setting. Hopefully it’ll be enlightening on something. He checks the time and realizes he has to leave soon to make sure he gets on the caravan before they leave.

Having a general idea of who and where his person is, Sebastian makes a show of leaving early for the day, waving to the people who happen to notice. Instead of just walking out the front door, he goes to a floor he’s not as familiar with, where the locker rooms await. He knows somewhere close, the Doctor is up to something similar, getting ready for his men tot take him on field

He doesn’t know what would happen if Victor does figure out he’s not this Tony guy, but he thinks if he hasn’t had his head ripped off yet, maybe it won’t be so bad. He hopes. In fact, if everything goes as planned, it should be fun, even. It should be delightful! 

Managing to make it deeper into the bio-tech areas, he finds the correctly labeled door, letting himself in with ease. Inside, Sebastian looks at the name labels on the doors, finding the person he intends to replace, and waits. Soon enough the other men file in, getting to their respectful lockers, grabbing their suits and helmets, with Sebastian holding steady. 

“You’re in front of my locker.” The man says pointedly, trying to get past the short coder.

Sebastian can’t help but smile condescendingly, “Ah, well, Doctor Veloci said it was his order that I take your place today, and you have the day off.” And then he watches him think for a moment, clearly mulling it over.

“Sure, whatever. Like I want to be stuck out there with him!” As quick as he came, the guy turned heel, leaving Sebastian to his devices. A success, thus allowing him to sneak on the strange outfit.  It’s tighter in areas he wished it weren’t but he managed to blend in well with everyone else.  None of the other people actually talk much, or rather, are not actually allowed to via the Doctor’s order. 

Falling in line, he is led to a garage, well, a hanger, where a large red vehicle awaits and- oh my god, is that supposed to be a dinosaur skull shape? Definitely a dinosaur skull. He tilts his head at this, freaked out by the fact no one else is any jarred as he. A giant, red, skull shaped vehicle is where he is led into. Thus, introducing him to the equally jarring interior, where Victor stood, the red suit stark against the green. He knew this vehicle existed, and what it looked like from the exterior, but in person it was another, different sight to see. Previously, he had even tried pinning its location so he could follow it in person, 

A deep breath, he takes his post, waiting to be taken to wherever the destination was. 

“How are you enjoying yourself, Sebastian?” Victor says pointedly, not looking at the masked man next to him. 

Sebastian almost visibly flinches, caught off guard by his disguise being uncovered. He thought the henchmen type guys didn’t talk much, so he could get away with just following Victor around, pretending to do anything of actual use. “I-I… don’t…” He blinks repeatedly, desperately searching for something to think of. “I’m not Sebastian.” A twisting in his stomach develops.

The other man hums in response, turning to Sebastian and reaching towards the helmet. Slender fingers gripping the edge, he lifts it. To his (not) surprise, the shaggy haired coder was found underneath it. He clicks his tongue. “Is it not the sweet Sebastian?” Raising one of Sebastian’s hands with his own, he returns the helmet to the man. “Bored in your enclosure? I thought I gave you enough enrichment.” 

He feels his face heat up at the contact, realizing the hands are softer than he expected. Stunned, he mustered a response, “I was curious, yeah.” 

Victor was… not expecting him to redden that much, and tucked this knowledge in the back of his head, definitely something that could be useful in the future. He softens, turning back to the front of the vehicle, “You could’ve asked, at least comparably you’d be more useful than these idiots.” A shake of his head, Sebastian is a different kind of aggravating, “Really? Letting you just… in? That’s so absurd.” Sebastian’s grip on the helmet tightens, holding his breath for his reaction, what his punishment will be. “Regardless, you can stay.” He sighs. “Just… make yourself useful, don’t be annoying.” 

“Yes… Doctor?” Victor's eyes widen ever so slightly. On the other end, Sebastian continues to fumble, putting the helmet back on and looking for something to do.

Eventually the team hits the road and Sebastian doesn’t understand what’s going on. The controls are odd, poorly thought out and implemented. No one around him is helpful either, not wanting to be caught doing what Victor would consider idle chatter. He looks at the man seated at the helm, indirectly, almost out of the corner of his eye, where he notices he’s wearing a different outfit entirely. It’s still a maroon suit, with some modifications, acting as a strong hint for this trip's purpose. Victor is an extremely ridiculous man, far from a new realization, but the hat… is so. Different. Is that Mugler? Did he buy an entirely new outfit, have it tailored for him, just for this specific occasion? 

“I can feel you staring. It’s annoying.”

“Literally, how. I am absolutely not.” He was. It’s the hat… and the hair, no longer cascading around his face, now tied neatly in a low pony.

“You’re here for me, how can you not stare?” The air felt tense, the henchmen around not used to Victor participating in what some would consider banter.

“I was just…” Sebastian does a series of awkward shifts. “Thinking.” Christ, it’s difficult to just do that, even. 

“Hm.” He scoffs. “Think quieter .” 

——

The vehicle finally rolls to a stop, forcing Sebastian to jolt awake, since, hey, zoning and passing out appeared to be an effective measure of looking busy and not somehow being annoying for the Doctor. He wonders what had him on so much of an edge during the drive, not quite in a fearful manner. It’s something, he’s sure. Watching the man carefully, he raises with a smug grin on his face. 

“We’re finally here.” The Doctor announces, waiting for the back door to unlatch and lower. Sebastian finds himself chewing at his lip, following close behind, desperately curious. They all ended up in the middle of the woods, but for why? He tries to peek past, but Victor is blocking the way, monologuing and waving his arms around. It’s already happened a few times on this ride, but Sebastian just did his best to block it out, having learned that was a constant occurrence from a tell-all he found posted on a random corner of the web, far enough so that Victor could stay unaware. 

Eventually, he worked his way out and followed the others outside, presented with a scene of a temporary encampment, tents scattered around an open clearing, surrounded by fir trees and hills, other people going back and forth with whatever duties they had. Sebastian is distracted by the workings of everyone else he narrowly misses Victor practically running to where the tents guide to, a clearing on a massive rock, practically a cliffside, carefully chiseled away to show the fossil of what appears to be some sort of dinosaur. There’s fucking dinosaur fossils in New England!? 

He tilts his head, processing this newfound information of just how far Victor will go for his dinosaur obsession. Is it a sort of hyperfixation kind of thing? It’s kind of cute, he guesses to himself. Billionaires certainly have their interests. 

“So you have a little archaeological dig here.”

“Yes! And then I will be able to do my experiment, you just need to get out of the way so these men can do their job.” Victor takes Sebastian by his shoulders, pulling him back, as these two other henchmen come by with a large hose. Sebastian can feel Victor’s nails digging into him, he’s unsure if this is another threat, or a byproduct of the man’s excitement. Regardless, his face flushes. Only recently, Sebastian properly started going outside and socializing on a regular basis, so even this amount of human contact through the layers of clothing he has on is overwhelming. Especially because it’s Victor.

The men turn on the hose and out comes a strange orange liquid, viscous in nature, shooting directly at the fossils. Coating it cleanly, Sebastian notices the subtle glow it exudes. He pushes back, worried of what it actually is, falling immediately into Victor, still having the vice-like grip on him. 

“Why, are you scared of the primordial ooze, Sebastian? ” That’s a ridiculous name for the substance, he cringes to himself. “You seem to be so scared of everything. Do relax a little. It’s just a harmless, little, experiment.” Victor firmly states, putting emphasis on harmless and little , releasing his grip and taking a step away. 

The ooze sluggishly drips from the rock, landing on the grass in thick clumps. 

“It’s literally glowing, Doctor.” 

“A side effect.” Sebastian blinks. He checks the seal on his helmet. “Get comfortable. We’ll be here awhile so I can personally observe what happens.” 

The day dragged on and Sebastian found a way to do some sort of work to fill the time while stuck in the woods. Sebastian was able to find an extra tent and have another guy set it up for him, allowing him to set up a laptop, cot, and change into his streetwear. He’s not really an outdoors guy, believe it or not. Checking some of the towers nearby out of curiosity. Surprisingly, there’s more than he expected. It could just be there’s more devices than he expected at this outpost, or there’s another group of people nearby. Campers, he thinks to himself, watching as they eventually disconnect. On the other hand, he also tries to dig through some Raptor Dyne servers to find more information regarding these experiments with the… primordial ooze. With no luck, however, he discovers a lot of the experiment logs themselves are specially encrypted, and the server itself has limited access outside of the facilities. The internet wasn’t helpful either. This ‘primordial ooze’ seems to be a very private proprietary mixture created by the Doctor himself to execute these experiments where he just… puts it on things? He half considers walking up to the man himself to get the answer, though he is keenly aware he’ll give a vague, non-answer. 

Sebastian gets up, intending to stretch his legs after sitting for a bit, and leaves the tent he set up for himself, greeted by the moonlight. He didn’t realize he was digging around for quite that long. To his surprise, he finds Victor seated up top of the obnoxious vehicle, arms around his knees. Hat off, his hair now free from the pony, bend from the elastic still visible. He looks almost… lonely. Approaching, he’s thrust backwards, hand on his bicep. 

“Don’t go near him!” The near-robotic voice sternly whispers, fed through a filter. 

Sebastian rips his arm away, petting at the fabric. “Fuck he’s gonna do?” 

“Seriously, man!” They wave their hands, trying to block his way. “He’ll eat you alive if you bother him.” He can’t help but visibly roll his eyes at this.

Sebastian sighs, putting a hand on the other person’s shoulder and pushing them cleanly out of his way, “‘Eat you alive?’ Seriously? It’s like every line out of one of you guys is a joke.” The henchman flinches and puts his hands up reflexively. He tries to say more, but it barely registers to Sebastian, making his way to Victor.

Scanning the vehicle once over he finds the ladder he likely used and heads up to meet the man. It’s awkward climbing up, but he does eventually make it, standing next to the sitting man. “Taking a break from your science?” 

Victor pulls in his legs, arms wrapped around his knees. A shrug. “One could say that. These things take time.” 

“And how long has it been?” Sebastian mulls it over momentarily before deciding to sit next to the man, painfully aware it would take Victor one push to severely injure him. It’s a long con, he thinks, gaining the man's approval. 

“Too long.” He doesn’t react, tucking his chin into his arms.

The younger man mirrors the other's position, watching his face. “What are you trying to see happen?” 

“The point of the experiments, you mean?” He looks at Sebastian, amber eyes almost glowing under the moonlight. Akin to the ooze. His eyelashes are long. 

“Yeah.” Dinosaurs aren’t… not cool. Comparatively, if his thing is just, really enjoying dinosaurs that isn’t so bad. 

His face lightens up, Victor grinning to himself, fangs bright. Fangs? Veneers are getting weird nowadays. “I’m going to bring dinosaurs back.” 

Sebastian blinks, stumbling over his words, “L-like Jurassic Park?” 

“No! You don’t get it!” Victor suddenly raises, snapped out of his stupor, scaring the shit out of Sebastian. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.” He glares sharply, sneering at him. Turning on heel, Victor slides cleanly off the truck. 

Sebastian tentatively inches over to the edge on his knees, stomach twisting at the high drop, “I wouldn’t have minded listening, though!” He watches him stalk back into the vehicle, shaking Sebastian when he slams the door. So, not like Jurassic park. Part of him considers following, to try to defuse the situation, but the Doctor might also need time to, uh, decompress. Sebastian crawls back down, using the ladder the old fashioned way. It’s starting to get chilly. He stands by the door, fidgeting on his feet, trying to figure out the next course of action. So far, Victor's just been snide, not angry at him, so this makes for an interesting conundrum, with how benign the comment seemed to be at first. But to learn about Victor Veloci's past, he needs his forgiveness.

Chapter Text

A deep breath. Sebastian slowly pulled the door open and stepped inside the vehicle, lights dim, keyboards tapping away. He gingerly walked towards the general direction he believed Victor should be. Upon happening on the man, he was up and about, shouting commands to nearby henchmen. 

The pair of helmet clad people scramble around, poking at buttons and things he doesn’t care to try to understand. The doctor stands proudly with hands on his hips, watching the helicopter fly off into the distance. “Uh… Victor?”

His head snaps to the side. “What is it now?” 

“Sorry for bringing up Jurassic Park, what you’ve got going on is clearly more sophisticated than that, uh, drivel.” 

Victor rolls his eyes, “It’s not that complicated, but I do understand the intent, Sebastian. Really, I am under the impression that I am quite forward about my desires; I just don’t explicitly say it.”

“So…” 

“Ah, I suppose I could show you what I’m up to here.” He walks over to a monitor, showing a variety of readings and a radar. “I’m trying to see if I managed to make any mutations nearby, but so far nothing has been picked up on my scans.”

Sebastian blinks. “What?” It’s the radioactive shit isn’t it.

“I really thought you’d be able to follow now.” He sighs. “The primordial ooze, which tends to spread, I suppose got to another creature and mutated it.” Wow. Sebastian watches intently as Victor pulls up more files, things he would have killed to find on his own. He could only imagine the years it took him to get to this point. 

“That’s insane. You did this yourself?” 

Victor half shrugs. “For the most part, but I also hired other geneticists to help.”

“Impressive…” Sebastian pours over the images, a variety of mutated creatures Victor created himself via the ooze. Fish with huge spines ripping out the back of their bodies, fangs, things that shouldn’t sprout feathers… Victor must’ve been the one indirectly behind all the random plant attacks as well, he realizes. The ooze must have a propensity to spread significantly from the initial drop site, altering whatever it seemingly touches. 

“Isn’t it?” He peers over his shoulder, hand on the keyboard, brushing against his arm. The closeness makes his hair stand on end and his breath hitch. “Soon the world will be exactly where I want it to be.” Sebastian can only imagine what he’s thinking, though it does seem entertaining. He lets out a sigh once the other pulls away. 

Victor turns, hand on the latch of the door, looking back at the other, hair cascading in front of his face. “Would you care to go for a walk, Sebastian?” 

“It’s been getting pretty cold,” The coder shifts on his feet. He watches Victor’s expression, with no change. “But I wouldn’t mind a walk.” If he has excitement and energy to burn, but he’s not sure he can keep up with those long legs.

  He nods, moving from the door and opening a random closet, grabbing a dark leather jacket. It smells like diesel. Surprised, Sebastian opens his mouth, ready to object, before Victor puts on the article of clothing. “Thank you for reminding me. I do not think I handle the cold as well as others. I assume you are able to uh…” He sizes him up. Sebastian nervously hides behind his arms. “Take it?”

Sebastian nods quickly, following the tall man out the door and into the woods. It’s dark and chilly, but Victor seems confident in his journey. There’s little to say, the only sound about being both of their gentle breathing and the crunch of twigs beneath their feet. Every once in a while an owl hoots. He knows the area very well, surprisingly. The moonlight struggles to breach the leaves, making Sebastian struggle with each step, gingerly walking and trying to keep pace with Victor stepping through the greenery with grace. They find themselves walking up a hill, the trees becoming more sparse, making it easier on Sebastian to see. Victor’s always one step ahead, hands in his jacket pockets. 

“I appreciate your level-headedness. It’s unexpected, considering you’re usually quite skittish around me.” Sebastian tries to catch up to better hear him. 

“I haven’t been physically threatened yet today.” 

Victor laughs. “As far as you know.”  Soon enough, they arrive at a place the man deems acceptable. It’s only been likely ten minutes

of the walking, but it felt like an eternity. The pair stand at a cliff, overlooking a river. With Sebastian distracted by the water rushing by, Victor fumbles in his pockets, pulling out a thin plastic tube and a lighter. 

A pop, a couple clicks of a lighter, and he’s standing by Sebastian offering him the joint. Diesel. Anyone else, he would've asked more questions or ribbed him for his choice in rolls, but this was Victor. Victor Veloci is standing next to him, on a cliff, offering him a hit off his joint. “I’ve stopped randomly testing my employees for it since it’s been legalized here. I’m not that insensitive.” 

“Oh, okay.” Victor passes it to him and Sebastian takes a drag. He doesn’t know how much more of the man he can take today before his heart gives out from the anxiety, but this definitely helps. He coughs, handing it back. 

“Move away from the edge. I would hate to have to send out some men to fish up your body.” Sebastian shuffles away, sitting under a nearby tree instead, taken aback by the comment. Shocked by the realization that he’s alone with the man who quite literally threatened to kill him if he didn’t work for him, and was just standing a push away from a life altering experience. The pot helps if barely. It excites him. He waves Victor over to share. “A decade ago I’d ask you to pitch in a twenty for this.” 

“You smoke with all your new hires?” Victor shakes his head and sits down next to him. The glow of the joint highlighting his features. It’s too hot; he’s going to waste the bud. Sebastian feels his chest tighten, his face grow warm. 

“No. I think we’re both just seeing what will happen.” A drag. “Don’t you?”  

“Yeah.” 

They sit like this for a time, close to one another in the cold, passing the joint back and forth until it becomes nothing but a nub. It’s intimate.

“I couldn’t imagine you going to a dealer ten years ago.”.

Victor hums, “There was a lot I would do you couldn’t imagine nowadays.” Sebastian perks up. “Please, not like I’d tell you.” 

“Why not?” His words were starting to slow, each one rolling off his tongue. 

“Because that version of me is gone, Sebastian. You’re not going to find him.” He clenched his fists in his pockets. The part of him that was far too human was snuffed out years ago, but Sebastian still failed to understand. Victor sees the younger man and is filled with something he can’t quite tell, burning in the pit of his stomach, dulled by the drug in his system. He pulls the man on his lap via the lapel of his shirt so he’s straddling Victor’s thighs, his own straining at the width. 

Sebastian hasn’t been touched like this in so long making him painfully aware of each touch and movement from the doctor. The marijuana makes him pliable, staring with eyes wide. “Victor—” He’s pulled in closer, either able to smell the smoke on their breaths. 

“I killed him because he was too human. Too weak and pathetic.” Their noses brush. Sebastian’s hold on his wrists is soft. Sebastian feels his heart skip a bit, entranced by Victor’s closeness and touch. “He got messy, too involved and emotional in ways I would never.” Despite the cold, he feels like he’s on fire, fingers on Victor’s hands buzzing. The older man was mad, enraged, at how Sebastian fascinated him, how much bullshit he lets him get away with. No one should be allowed to get as far as he has, and now he can’t help but let him continue, just to see what would happen.

“Does this count as involved?” Sebastian asks, barely a whisper, lips against his cheek. He’s so close. Drunk (high? - it’s really all just downers in the end so, who knows) on the affection, he strings Victor along, trying to beckon him to go further, to take part in what both of them desire, no, need as people.  

“No.” And now… Now Victor is stuck in the middle of the woods with him strung out over his lap. His grip weakens and he lets the shirt go. The warmth of another is temptatious, his human form beckoning him to continue, to keep going. Sebastian stares, still holding onto Victor’s hands. Their lips brush. It’s embarrassing, for both, they would realize later, how easy they fell into this with only a subtle push. 

He can’t bring himself to do more but move along with the other's face, holding desperately  onto his thighs. The kisses are soft and tentative, both unsure of the other, Sebastian presses deeper into Victor, desperate for more purchase, needing the other man’s warmth. 

Sebastian is certain his skin is on fire, alight at the touch on his legs. It’s hard to think, when he’s so overwhelmed by the sensations at hand, his own hands snaking up the other’s shoulders, up to his jaw, closer and closer. The taste of him, Sebastian notes, is unique, almost a raw flavor. Victor bites, eliciting a surprised squeak. He slips a hand under Victor’s old leather jacket, trying to feel what lay beneath, brought on by hunger, inner thighs burning as he’s held down. He’s so goddamn fit . Another part of him is ashamed by how easily he’s falling apart at the seams, clinging on to the experience like it’s his lifeline.

They sit like this for far too long, hands wandering. Sebastian flinches at Victor’s cold hands finding its way under his shirt, but immediately leans into the touch on his stomach, enjoying the nails dragging along his skin. Victor pulls away momentarily, moving to Sebastian’s jaw, removing one of his hands to Sebastian’s hair, grasping at the roots, gripping, and pulling his head back, revealing the neck.

His breath hitches, feeling the man’s lips move lower, to the soft skin of his throat. The lips are replaced by tongue and teeth- no fucking way. Sebastian winces, still holding onto the older man, almost for dear life, wanting to absorb all his body heat. Once Victor pulls back, wearing a shit-eating grin, Sebastian catches himself from whining due to the loss of contact. 

Irritated that he would even do that , the younger man takes to grinding himself down onto the man, smug at the noises he receives in response. Threading his finger’s through Victor’s hair, he pulls back to inspect the roots. Red all the way down, he giggles to himself. It might be real after all… It’s remarkably soft to the touch as well, freshly washed with the smell of expensive conditioners and masks.

“What?” Victor breaks the silence.

“Your hair is funny.”

“I told you, it’s real.” He grins and pulls Sebastian’s chin in for another kiss.

“Wait.” Another pause. “I want to see something.” Gingerly, he parts the other man’s lips, watching as he furrows his brows, watching curiously. A curious finger makes its way past, revealing the sharp incisors and red gums. Coaxing his jaw open, he places the pad of his thumb on it, testing its sharpness. 

Something clicks for him. 

Sebastian pulls away and buries himself in the crook of Victor’s neck. He’s obsessed. Wholly and literally obsessed. Overwhelmed by the rush of emotions, he stilled, breathing heavily. He tries to tell himself it’s the weed, it’s making him think too hard about things. Things about Victor, and how warm and human he was. Something is fundamentally wrong about him and that scares Sebastian.

“Is it too much?” It’s more gentle than he expected. 

“Yes.” He doesn’t notice, but Victor does, his chest shuddering, heart racing.

He feels Victor’s hands move to his shoulders, “Do you want to go back then? Perhaps going to sleep would help.” A nod, and Victor slowly guides him up, wincing at the numbness in his legs.

“I’m sorry.” Sebastian is clutching onto Victor, unable to stand steady.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” It’s hard to think. It’s hard to process the situation, his mind working too slow and sensations lagging behind. 

“It’s alright, Sebastian. There isn’t anything to be sorry for.” 

Victor leads him back to the camp in silence, neither really addressing what just happened. The camp is dark and silent, everybody having gone to bed for the night. Sebastian blushes when he sees this, as it truly puts a time stamp

on quite how long they were gone. 

At the truck, they part, Victor turning to him for a moment, mulling over a response, but Sebastian cuts him off before he can think of what to say. 

“Good night, Victor.”

He blinks. “You as well.” Victor opens the door and enters, leaving Sebastian alone in the dark. Brain fuzzy, he stands for a moment before he finally realizes what’s going on and leaves for his tent. 

Inside, he clicks on a space heater and opens his laptop, staring at the reflection on the dark screen. Hair mussed, he touches his own lips, swollen and bruised from Victor. Sebastian mumbles expletives under his breath and pulls up a chat program, calling Alex. 

“I assume you’re calling to let me know your plan didn’t result in your death.”

“Yeah.”

He can practically hear the smile on his friend’s face, “Are you high?” 

“Yeah.” Alex makes a disgruntled sound. “It’s not- I didn’t bring any myself.”

“So you’re making friends?”

“Kinda?” He hesitates. “Yes?”

Alex pauses and Sebastian can hear him rustling around, “What do you mean by that?”

“I-I… managed to join some field work and someone asked me to…” Sebastian carefully considers his words. It’s too easy to slip up when he’s like this, “To go on a walk with them and we ended up sharing a joint, is all.” 

“Who?”

“I can’t…” Sebastian fidgets. 

Another pause, Alex thinks about how to word his response, “Are you being threatened?”

“No! No! I just don’t feel comfortable disclosing it, you know, what if someone hears about it and I get in trouble?” There’s a multitude more reasons why, including admitting to someone else what happened. 

“Right.” A pause. “And how’s Doctor Veloci himself?”

“G-good… He didn’t get too mad that I found my way here. I think he found it to be inevitable and was just waiting for when I’d do it.” It’s

not a lie.

“And? Any other juicy information you learned?”

Sebastian hesitates. He doesn’t know if he’s still bugged or not, plus a tent isn’t the most soundproof thing, even if he’s whispering. “Uhm… No. Nothing exceptional.” Part of him doesn’t quite want to trust Alex enough to divulge exactly what’s going on, with another part begging him to speak for his own safety. Either way, he’s caught in a difficult situation.

“Hope you let me know soon so we can continue your little Victor exposé you wanted to do.” If he means exposé like exposing what he looks like under that suit, then sure. Jesus christ, no. 

“Right, uhm, I think I’m gonna head to bed. Today was exhausting.”

Alex laughs, “Sure, sleep well and don’t get killed!”

He gives a half hearted chuckle before exiting out and shutting off the laptop. Alone, he’s trapped with his own thoughts, mind racing about a million different things, all relating to Victor. Are they going to bring up what happened? While Sebastian does quite relate to, uh, how weed can affect people’s libido, he wonders if Victor’s going to be upset, but he seemed so nice earlier… The man was downright sweet, it didn’t make any sense whatsoever. Unless… 

His stomach twisted. Curling on the bed, he screwed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the feeling. Breathing exercises weren’t working, since he couldn’t even focus on that. Today didn’t answer much of anything and just brought on a slew of other questions spurred from the other man’s general existence. He doesn’t get it, and he hates it. 

Why was he so gentle and understanding? The man that always takes and gets what he wants, but here he just stopped. Then the obsession with dinosaurs and mutating things, complicated that tenfold. How does one cope? 

Eventually, Sebastian manages to pass out, still dressed in the day's prior clothes.

——

The following day he is abruptly woken up by an extreme whirring sound, almost like a helicopter practically shaking his tent. He shoots up, rubbing his sore jaw, realizing that, yes, that is actually a helicopter here, because why wouldn’t Victor have a goddamn helicopter in the middle of a forest? Right, Victor, the memories come flooding back, masked with more clarity than he had the night prior. If he weren’t quite literally in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere he’d be inclined to just lay back down and sleep for the remainder of eternity, but unfortunately, he has to wake up and smell the roses of reality. 

Getting up, he strips himself from the clothes, cringing at the dirt staining the back of his favorite jeans, making a mental note to buy extra pairs for future field work. Considering everything, he’s certain Victor is having far too much fun having him around just to watch him squirm. Goddamn stupid fucking Victor Veloci obsessed with dinosaurs and mutating shit, and threatening random coders that totally are not attracted to him in any physical fucking sense (and if he is! It’s solely ONLY because he just so happens to be extremely attractive, diminished by the fact he’s just another capitalist shithead), enjoying whatever random bullshit he’s doing because it’s apparently going somewhere! Sebastian is seething.

Christ. 

He throws on new clothes, attempts to comb down his hair, and stomps outside, looking for the man of the hour. Easily, he spots him grumpily staring at the fossils on the cliff.

“Sebastian, are you-” 

Sebastian immediately cuts him off, not wanting to be manipulated even more, “No! Why do you think you can do whatever random shit you want? You’re such a privileged asshole!” The taller man sighs, closing his eyes to think of a measured response. 

“Your parents gave you five hundred thousand dollars when you moved out of the house as a graduation present and you continued to accrue a significant amount of money in a shorter amount of time than me. Are we not on the same level?” 

He narrows his eyes, “But I don’t do this.” Also, fuck him for knowing that. 

“No, you just stalk and try to find out the entire life history of other people for profit.” Victor grins, pleased at how flustered he continuously manages to get Sebastian. He had his own mini-meltdown the previous night. But he’d be damned before he’d show that kind of weakness. 

Sebastian awkwardly sputters to defend himself,“It’s to-” and is promptly cut off by Victor.

“Ah, to fill your own pockets by exploiting other people?” He’s by himself, the disappointment of nothing arising from the fossils faded quickly away. “Don’t worry, I won’t judge. No harm in a little fun. Well, there’s a lot of harm. You know what I mean.” Part of him considered saying there is a lot of fun in a little harm, but that just sounded stupid in his head. “Face it, you harm people just as much as I do.” Sebastian stands there dumbfounded, and Victor slowly approaches him, placing a hand on his shoulder, leaning in. “It’s not a problem, so long as you come to terms with how you’re meant to be. You’d have so much more fun instead of being so… high strung. Here,” He takes Sebastian’s chin in his hand, watching keenly as he twitches at the touch, softening into it. “Life’s a lot more interesting when you don’t spend it all behind a computer. You’re missing out. You were so relaxed yesterday.” Last night. “Let’s foster that energy, yes? I don’t expect you to completely change your opinion of me or wholly agree with what I’m doing, I just want you on my side.” Victor definitely got over his problems faster, trying to draw the coder into the same conclusions as he. 

“Fine, as long as you can keep me entertained.” Sebastian rips himself from the haze and turns away, arms crossed.

A chuckle, “Won’t be hard.” Victor’s phone vibrates and he takes a look. With the angle Sebastian is unable to see what makes him light up, his amber eyes wide with delight. “I’ll be back, Sebastian. I have some perfect dinosaurs to get my hands on.” He turns, and bolts, hair obnoxiously flowing in the wind, leaving him alone with the fossils. 

Dude, what the fuck? What does perfect dinosaurs even mean, and why the hell did he say it like that? Considering his next steps, he finds himself drawn to following the man back to his vehicle, where he… has another, smaller, car. It’s a red painted steel frame, made-up to look akin to a buggy for off-road driving, with large, thick-treaded tires. Watching dumbfounded, Victor zips off in a random direction. He’s having an exciting day, different from the stories from henchmen claiming Victor to be angry and tyrannical, constantly shouting orders. Rather, here, he’s passionate about his work, happy to show off his research and discoveries. 

What Sebastian doesn’t notice, however, is when the henchmen flinch at their boss’s arrival and at every decibel his voice raises for the times they can’t finish what he considers to be a simple task. It’s a revolving door, padded by lawyers and NDAs, so most employees don’t receive the most in-depth training and the job description itself leaves much to the imagination. A bitter feeling exists in the employees at the camp, disgusted to see how Sebastian is treated like a prince compared to the rest of them. Why does Victor like him of all people, all wonder. Some have their guesses, passing them through hushed whispers, praying neither of the two notice the gossip. Others don’t give a shit, turning a blind eye to the CEO’s escapades, just wanting to minimize themselves from any attention.

 He wanders around the camp aimlessly for a bit, taking stock of the general on-goings and trying to understand what its functions are. Some are focused in front of devices, sorting through data, and others are stuck staring at fossils, dusting them carefully. He finds where they keep their food, eats some for himself, and makes his way.  Sebastian notices a group sitting, helmets off with brown sack lunches, and approaches them. The stares make him feel self conscious as he grabs a chair for himself, “So, what are we up to today?”

Silence. 

A blonde man with short cropped hair pipes up, “Nothing much. Just waiting for the other two, Johnson and Tex, to fuck up getting the mutants so we end up having to commute back to Boston with a seething Doctor Veloci.”

“Oh.” He adjusts himself in the chair. “Does that happen often?” Everyone else is still staring. So weird. 

“Kinda, yeah. Are you new or something?”

“Uhm… Sorta?”

“Yeah, you are new. Well, just a heads up for ya, you’re not one of us. You know how last night you were stopped by Tex before approaching the doctor?” Sebastian nods slowly. “Well, he’s not wrong. Any other one of us would’ve ended up as his dinner for the night. Clearly, you’re different.”

“Yeah!” Another man pipes up. “Why don’t you go back to your little coding booth or whatever hoity-toity bullshit you get up to.” His ears grow hot.

“I don’t- He literally threatened me to work here. Why can’t I just sit here and chat for fucks sake?” He raises from his seat so suddenly it sends it backwards, and Sebastian watches as the group collectively flinches. “I just wanted to do something different instead of being forced to fucking code all day!” 

“So you decide to throw yourself into one of the hardest jobs? Parading yourself around one of the scariest men alive just because you’re bored ? We have families to take care of, so we’re stuck in this bullshit, but you-  you get to do whatever the fuck you want.” They start egging each other on, berating and criticizing Sebastian's existence, how stupidly lucky he is. Standing there, he feels his face redden and his eyes burn, they take notice. “You gonna go cry to Victor Veloci? Cuz you’re his expensive little bitch ?” Why can’t anyone here be normal?  

This pisses him off because they can’t see him or recognize his own experiences for their worth. They don’t understand that he’s just as trapped as they are, under Victor’s thumb. He won’t-can’t respond, a lump in his throat choking his ability to retort and defend himself. Sebastian turns heel and stomps back to his tent. 

All the emotions that have been building for the last twenty-four hours come to a head as he silently cries alone on the stiff cot, holding himself close for a meager form of comfort, and failing. It’s lonely. He regrets not chasing Victor to find these so-called perfect dinosaurs, angry that he’s forced to stay here and be verbally attacked by strangers. The experience acts as a reminder why he prefers to stay behind a screen, protected by the substrate and the power he holds with a keyboard. He has to get out of here. 

After about longer than he’d admit of on and off sobbing, he scrounges around and finds napkins to try and clean himself off. It makes his skin raw, but it’s better than nothing. He sees the henchman uniform haphazardly tossed in the corner and realizes this was the best method to protect himself onwards here. If he blends in, they won’t harass him, he bitterly thinks, slipping back into the suit. He scoffs at the irony. 

Taking his messenger bag holding the remainder of the items he brought with him, he tentatively looks outside the tent, to ensure no one was watching for him. With everyone seemingly busy at their posts, or idly chatting with one another, not paying him any mind, he makes his way to the truck, an eyesore against the greenery, with purpose. Inside, Sebastian starts digging around, looking for keys, since there definitely has to be more vehicles than this here, something the henchman who first scouted this place out used. Tucked away in a lock box, left askew, he discovers a set of keyfobs, labeled with obnoxious car logos. 

One guy tries to ask him what he’s doing, but Sebastian waves him off with a ‘Doctor Veloci’s orders’ (how often is that lie going to work?), and leaves the truck. On his aimless wandering prior, he noticed a clearing where they kept miscellaneous vehicles, and here lay the one he was looking for now. 

Just like the one Victor zipped away in, there was another all-terrain vehicle waiting for the taking. A tap off a button, and he’s able to pull the door open and slide into the driver’s seat. There’s more buttons than he expected, as well as more radars and parts he couldn’t quite figure out their purpose. Key in the ignition, the car engine chugs to a start. The needles on the dashboard move into place and the radar glows to life. He pauses at the gear shift, debating between leaving altogether or looking for Victor himself. A ping, he looks down at the radar, and it seems to be a moving dot nearby, and he realizes that he actually has no idea where he is, but at the very least, he could see where Victor was. 

It’s decided, then. 

Well, not like it mattered because just as he was about to pull off, more henchmen appeared around him, piling into the vehicle. “Oh, thank god you’re a step ahead. Doctor Veloci is not gonna be happy to have us be so behind.”

Huh?

In the chaos of the car filling up and the chatter from the henchmen, Sebastian finds himself speeding towards the beeping on the radar, making his way to the Doctor Veloci on the hunt for those pah-fect dinosaurs. Thankfully compared to the rest of the party, he doesn’t recognize these men at all, and they don’t seem to take much notice of him, other than to point out potential obstacles and lament on how upset the doctor will be. It’s background noise, he giggles to himself in his head, drones as originally hoped they would be. 

The blip becomes easier to follow, no longer a cat and mouse chase as it suddenly comes to a stop. Likely the man found what he was looking for. Still, Sebastian can’t be leisurely in getting there, henchmen certain of this fact, pointing where he should go, telling him to hurry. 

The next hour is the most hectic his life’s been in the past week. They quickly came upon Victor’s vehicle, destroyed and still, at the edge of a very, very long fall. Victor himself was aggressive and irate, barking orders and demanding the henchmen help him. They can’t pry the vehicle’s frame, so it’s an awkward squeeze trying to get the man out. 

One of the henchmen volunteers to drive back, mostly doing it so they don’t have to deal with trying to guide Sebastian as well as not being forced to sit anywhere near Victor. He doesn’t pay mind to this, too focused in trying to get Victor inside the car. 

“Dude, just, sit.” Sebastian is pushy, almost shoving him inside and forcing a belt on him, but Victor is fussy, claiming all of this ruckus is useless and could have been prevented. But it already happened , Sebastian would retort. He’s still aimlessly rambling about the henchmen’s poor ability to do anything of worth when Sebastian notices a cut on his cheek, blood already smeared across his face. 

Instinctively, he brings a gloved hand up, going to clean up the blood from the man’s cheek. He immediately is stopped in his tracks by the hard grip on him. “I don’t need your help.” Victor sneers, pushing him away 

“You’re bleeding.”

He wipes himself off on the edge of his sleeve, “And?”

“ And? ” Sebastian sputters, more worried than he realizes, or would care to literally ever admit. “You could’ve-“

“I’m well aware of the circumstances I put myself in because I’m not stupid .” The car stops, surprising Sebastian as he lurches forward. “Regardless of your concerns, we’re here and I’d like to start the trip back to Boston. My work here is done, for now.” He dramatically steps out the car and slams the door shut, paying no mind to everyone’s collective flinch. 

Sebastian watches, surprised to be able to finally witness Victor’s anger himself. Instead of open-ended threats, he was just… mad. He’s stopped in place, even as the henchmen run off to do their duties, not thinking twice about the man glued to his seat. Struck by his stupor, he wants to punch himself for even acting any type of interested in the man, but it’s also...

——

Once out and about, everybody seems to be hastily packing up, with Victor’s job here seemingly done, with little results. Before entering the vehicle, the doctor pauses, looking at Sebastian for a moment. “We’ll talk back at the headquarters.” He nods in reply, agreeing with whatever sentiment Victor has, both needing time to decompress. 

They sit next to one another inside, not speaking to each other, not after everything that has happened in the past day or so. It’s been very, very overwhelming to Sebastian, having been the most he’s gone outside in certainly forever. He fidgets with his phone, thumbing at it while not doing anything at all, too stuck in his own head. 

The scenery passes by, slowly becoming more and more urban, trees becoming sparse, as they reach Boston. Inside the facility, Victor quickly turns to barking more orders to his men. Business as usual, he guesses. 

He’s headed out for the night, unwilling to wait for Victor to finish his work, but the man stops him right before the elevators. Sebastian watches him do something that he now picks up as hesitation from the man. If he were more self-indulgent, he’d bubble with satisfaction knowing that he’s thrown Victor off kilter. 

“I told you I wanted to talk.”

He nods, “You did. I just didn’t think you meant today.” Victor narrows his eyes in a you know what I meant kind of way. “Well, are you fine?”

 He receives a sneer in response, “Of course I’m fine. I’m just mad that those perfect,” Sebastian’s lip twitches, and he tries to hide the grin. “dinosaurs continue to evade me.” This in of itself doesn’t make too much sense to Sebastian, when for all he knew there weren’t any, though the way he says perfect… Something else. That accent is nuts. 

“You know I convinced myself last night you were trying to turn yourself into a dinosaur.” Sebastian tries to state as casually as possible. Now seemed like the best time to bring up what worried him so much the night prior, maybe Victor would find it silly and- He only receives a blank stare in response. “What?”

“Trying?” Sebastian’s blood ran cold from the man’s look, turning into a mocking grin. A tentative step back. This is the threatening he’s become more accustomed to.

Victor moves in on him, like a stalker to his prey, corning him against the wall. Bringing his hands up, he holds Sebastian’s face, “You have it backwards.” Victor can almost see the cogs turning in his head, his brows becoming more and more furrowed, eyes wide. 

“I do?” 

“Sebastian…” Each syllable drawn out, the younger man feels his nails press deeper into his cheeks. “You do think too much about things. Just relax. ”

He winces under the grasp, trying to pull away but locked in place. “Y-Your nails are digging into me.” 

The fingers retract, a texture much different from how he first remembered and Victor reveals to him the sharp talons on scaled, red skin. Reptilian? Fuck , man. “ My Apologies.”

Awkward laugh, “Did you drug me or something?” Sebastian’s stomach drops, hair standing on end, something within him saying that something is deeply wrong, something is absolutely not correct. This is unnatural somehow.

He laughs. “No, why would I do that? That feels like cheating.” It’s too easy to manipulate people with hallucinogens. Traditional mental and emotional games? More intriguing. Sebastian, on the other hand, can’t come to fathom how this would naturally occur instead of being some sort of freak self-inflicted genetic alterations. Or even yet, why Victor would even do this to himself if that was the case. 

“What did you…” Tentatively, he brings his hands to the other’s hands? Talons? Trying to process the sensation, the loss of the soft human skin that once existed. He’s pliant, letting Sebastian inspect him, trying to process the sinew and scales replacing the other. “..do?” The cold wall stings as he tries to press his entire soul and being into it, almost able to feel his brain short circuit. 

Victor’s body shifted, turning into a prehistoric creature, red-feathered and bipedal, insurmountably large. He towers over Sebastian, flexing the sharp claws, flaring his plumage. 

A fucking dinosaur. It’s bizarre. The younger man, glued to the wall, feels his heart stop momentarily. 

“Sebastian…” The now-dinosaur drawls, and the man flinches at the words. Why can he talk like that? Victor leans down, peering closer at him, watching carefully as his eyes well up and start watering. “Why are you so scared?”

A distressed noise comes from Sebastian, who’s now taken to sliding down the wall, not removing his eyes from Victor. “You’re so… big.” 

He laughs, the booming sound reverberating, making Sebastian wince. “I haven’t heard that in awhile!” 

“Jesus christ, loud, too. Can you, like, go back to normal so I can mentally process this?” He swears the dinosaur was able to grin before warping back into the long-haired mogul. “What the fuck, man.” Victor stood there smugly, hands in pockets, waiting patiently for his next words, giving him time to think. “So, you’re a dinosaur?” A condescendingly slow nod. “Uhm.. Does that mean it’s Veloci because you’re a velociraptor.”

“Close! It’s a bait and switch, you see. You get people to let their guard down thinking they’re going to be in the presence of a small and easily overpowered velociraptor, but no! I believe you humans call it the Utahraptor.” 

“Utahraptor?” 

“Do your own research, I’m not here to teach you.”

“I’d listen.” Truth be told, while he was on the verge of tears, heart beating to the point he thought it would stop, Victor was the most fascinating, amazing creature on the planet and he wants to know more.