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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 11, 2009 18:30:40 GMT -5
Veidt and Micaela were photographed together as their alter egos, in spite of his technically having been retired and hers having been invented entirely as a publicity exercise. The costume remained a powerful tool for the sake of publicity and photo opportunities, even if it was in fact nothing more than a fancy replica (the original Ozymandias costume had been sold back in '76, with the proceeds going to charity, and the one in the press photography was less flexible, less protective, and generally less utilitarian as a whole). He was photographed without the mask first, and then with it. Applying it was a more delicate process than most people realized- before the mask could even be attached with spirit gum, the area surrounding his eyes had to be darkened with athlete's eyeblack in order to make the mask look right once it was on. (Melissa said it made him look like a panda. Veidt ignored this.) And then there was the headband (more spirit gum at the temples, as well as a few little arrangements that gripped into his hair), and the gauntlets (the finger armor on this pair was rubber, but it hadn't always been), and most of the photographers silently conceded amongst themselves that Adrian Veidt had a truly bizarre ability to take a rather ridiculous costume and wear it with such confidence that it began to inspire respect and a little fear after only a few minutes, even when Veidt was making small talk with the magazine staff or laughing at someone else's joke. He could see Baillon watching, and he nodded to acknowledge him from time to time. Adrien was, indeed, watching, and silently conceding with the photographers that Adrian Veidt made everything look sophisticated and intimidating all at once. Even when that was a superhero costume. Even when that was a constant parade of bright purple. Or panda-eyes. Adrien, who had found someplace off in the corner and had been waiting for Micaela to finish, found a couple of chairs, sat in one, and folded his arms over the other to lean on moonily, wondered vaguely what Veidt would look like in drag, how he'd pull it off. He had still never quite accustomed himself to this kind of society, just as it had been at the birthday party he'd crashed (it had initially just been a party, but now that he knew Micaela it was irreparably Micaela's 18th Birthday Party and he was kinda glad he could say he'd attended it, because he was sort of sad that he had in another way missed her birthday), and so he conformed just slightly in that he was more elegant and maybe a little more aloof, and his enigmatic smile suited things better, but beyond that he remained incorrigibly informal and comfortable even where everyone else tried to be professional. While the photographers and journalists and their ilk all had their own way of showing that they were awed, Adrien still had his own - a smile, and the occasional glance in Veidt's direction that spoke volumes. And said them in a tone of voice better suited for the bedroom.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 11, 2009 18:41:48 GMT -5
As the others disappeared, and Micaela skipped off to return to her roommates (the resulting exchange of goodbyes showed that if there was anything capable of making Adrian Veidt look uncomfortable, if even for a moment, it was being hugged by a bouncy eighteen-year-old girl), Veidt returned to his office still in the costume to go over a few things with Melissa before she went home herself.
When he was alone, Veidt pulled off the mask again and washed away the spirit gum and the eyeblack in the bathroom off of the office, and then went to pass through and remove the rest of the costume in his own quarters.
Or at least that was the plan, until he saw he wasn't alone.
"Baillon," said Veidt.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 11, 2009 18:48:24 GMT -5
Perhaps it was pure naivety, but Adrien looked genuinely surprised to see that Veidt was still in costume. This registered on his face, but he hardly looked uncomfortable with it. He tilted his head and gazed at him with no bashfulness whatsoever. There was no licentiousness in the way he looked Veidt over briefly.
But there was maybe a hint of something more sensual than usual - although Adrien was tastefully sensual very naturally; he was simply that good-looking, although he did not seem aware of it to the degree that he could distort this or use it - in his smile when he looked back up at him. He'd momentarily forgotten that Baillon was his name, and hadn't responded immediately.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 11, 2009 18:51:16 GMT -5
"I didn't realize you were planning on staying after hours again," Veidt said calmly, still in his public voice. "I don't mind, of course..."
His voice trailed off. This was the nature of the arrangement now, each of them pretending that it wasn't an integral part of the set-up.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 11, 2009 18:54:35 GMT -5
"I am a very conscientious worker," he said, so promptly and with a note of teasing in his voice that was, perhaps, a little unusual. He surprised even himself by saying this, but it was not the kind of surprise that showed on his face. He was simply rising to the occasion, being spontaneous. That was, in a way, what he was used to, not showing up at regular hours and staying until a specific point in time, knowing exactly what he would be doing at nearly every minute. "Maybe it's more common in street kids than you'd think."
He approached him sort of lazily, the overt playfulness only momentarily being knocked out of him by a bit of curiosity. He reached out and brushed Veidt's waist.
"How does this all attach, exactly?" - but, naturally, once the subject had been breached said playfulness returned to that curiosity, and his smile widened.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 11, 2009 23:10:10 GMT -5
"It's comprised by a number of- well, the real suit was comprised by a number of interlocking parts, but this is, I'm afraid, nothing more than an extremely well-made mockup in neoprene."
He smiled at the boy, and let the velvet cape brush against his arm.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 12, 2009 16:18:07 GMT -5
It had absolutely not been his intention to become seduced by the sight of Adrian Veidt in his Ozymandias costume. He had not fetishized it; he'd only seen pictures of him in it a few times, as he'd only recently taken an interest in Veidt as a public figure, and it was as a public figure, not a superhero. But even if it was ridiculous - velvet cape and spandex and molded-to-fit - it showed him off rather advantageously.
Adrien completely forgot the wholly legitimate reason he had had for lingering afterwards and turned his hand so that the back of it brushed against the velvet, not even realizing he'd leaned closer, tilted his head.
"Your eyes look so pretty," he said, nearly coyly, referencing the way the blue was brought out by the eyeblack that had stayed stubbornly at his lashline. (He had not gotten over his casual commenting about Veidt's looks that had been interpreted as insolence their first night.) "How is your extremely well-made mockup attached, then?"
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 12, 2009 21:57:09 GMT -5
"Mostly through snugness, and a zipper that the cape hides," Veidt confided. "A zipper was a far more cost-effective option for a mockup."
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 13, 2009 21:06:33 GMT -5
"Yeah," said Adrien, still grinning, "it's pretty snug. I think I might've noticed that."
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 13, 2009 21:18:09 GMT -5
"The mockup fits together in two pieces, plus the belt," Veidt continued. "Did you see Micaela's belt buckle, by any chance? I thought that was an especially good touch from the designer. They used the same emblem."
There was an unexpected note of pride on Micaela's behalf in his voice.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 14, 2009 19:46:25 GMT -5
He tried to figure out whether or not Veidt was being sincere in that pride or just using it to throw him off. It was that unexpected, and Adrien was pretty used to Veidt being smarter than he was.
Instead of answering - because he hadn't figured out Veidt's motive yet - he smiled but quirked an eyebrow as though expecting a joke.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 14, 2009 19:49:26 GMT -5
"She seems to have accustomed herself to all of this quite well."
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 14, 2009 19:51:41 GMT -5
Safer ground. "It seems natural on her," said Adrien, someone who was generally fairly natural himself, except when he was being quite deliberately and overtly the opposite. Not that Veidt would have seen him doing that.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jul 15, 2009 13:45:40 GMT -5
"I suppose the papers must be having a field day with this."
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jul 15, 2009 14:06:22 GMT -5
"Probably," said Adrien, smile still warm but himself a bit resigned. He had forgotten what he'd wanted to bring up, and he didn't suppose Veidt talking about Micaela implied Veidt was in the mood for anything else right now. "Melissa'll bring up anything important, you know."
He clapped him with casual informality on the shoulder in lieu of a verbal good-bye, stepping to the side so that he could head out.
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