[ Moderation in all things, especially teasing that he suspects is maybe being taken as criticism, with how defensive Tech Boy's responses are sounding. Not that K can blame him. Beings constructed for servitude is kind of a sensitive topic; he would know.
And it also seems he was wrong, if they're an extension of Tech Boy. ]
I don't mind you watching me. But I can't imagine it's very entertaining. Have you only recently started doing that? Seems unfair that I can't do the same with you.
My assumptions were wrong, then. I apologise. [ Guess who's had ample experience anticipating and defusing others' volatile emotions before they explode on him? It's likely overkill in this instance, but caution is preferable to making Tech Boy angry.
And a few moments after that last text he switches to video, because he would like to actually be able to see Tech Boy's face and hear his voice, to have a better indication of his mood. ]
But I'm still curious about them. You said it's easier to show me. [ A beat. ] Or I could always come over.
[ Full disclosure, Tech Boy hasn't learned to take teasing gracefully because his previous experience with it has all been either veiled criticism... or overt criticism. New Media in particular burned him in the end, and he'd lost his sense of humor about it. He's theoretically open to good-natured teasing, but he is going to have to get used to it. He pinches the bridge of his nose with a hand still holding his vape. He'll try harder, K.
He's still in exactly this position when he switches to match K's video. The featureless white behind him indicates that he's inside the network and not physically inside his own apartment. He lowers his hand and flicks the fringe out of his eyes with a nod of his head. ]
I've been keeping an eye on everything for a while. Hazards of the gig. But you texted me tonight. Best direct line of communication. [ He shrugs, a smile tugging at his lips. ] Just wanted to see you. The rest was a bonus.
[ He gets irritated very easily, but it can also cool quickly. And he can't find any reason to be anything other than pleased to see K. ]
[ Tech Boy doesn't seem upset, at least, which is a relief — more than that, now he's being sweet, and it has K smiling in turn. Maybe the voyeur jokes are best approached from a different angle... one involving giving the god something interesting to see when he least expects it. And luckily K's too tech savvy to ever ""accidentally"" broadcast roboporn to the network. ]
So you can come faster. [ Said with a perfectly straight expression and without missing a beat, because he just couldn't help himself (though he does hope it's taken in the spirit it was intended, which is negotiations are still on). And then he tilts his head. ] Show me.
[ And Tech Boy's free to interpret that as he will. ]
[ Oh, he hears that comment in exactly the way K had intended it. He runs his tongue over his teeth in a widening smile. Talk about rising to the bait. And K's deadpan delivery makes it all the more amusing. But then...
Those last two words bring Tech Boy up a bit short. His facial expression flashes through a range of unbidden emotion--sadness, anger, pain, distress, frustration, and even fear--in the blink of an eye before resting back into a smile that is sincere, albeit significantly less confident than probably anyone else has seen from him. He looks down.
There are definitely topics about which he's much too sensitive to take in a joking tone. His fight for K's freedom from his oppressive programming and his handler's conditioning is one of them. This is another. There's no way K could have known those two words were the last the CEO had spoken to him before he'd been betrayed and deleted. Spoken in a thematically similar context. Prove yourself. Tech Boy's annoyed they still have that kind of power over him.
Fuck that. Time to recoup. ]
I will.
[ K's seen his partial transformation from physical to digital during the creation of the flower app, and this is that on a larger scale. Emerging from the Network into the physical realm is one of his favorite flashy entrances and is demonstrating his power in exactly the way K requested. He appears slightly out of reach from K, body language completely at ease as if it cost him no great expenditure of energy to preform the feat. As easy as breathing. The pleased facial expression is back. ]
[ Despite having been here for a few months, K's apartment barely appears lived in; as spartan as his apartment in his homeworld, other than his piano and books. Part of that is also because he maintains a meticulously clean living space. And luckily it came furnished, so there are at least places to sit down.
Without knowing the actual context behind that shift in the god's expression, K's left to assume it's most likely his attempts at flirtation going awry, much like his teasing had. Now he worries it all came across as antagonistically mean-spirited. Little wonder why replicants are normally only used for physical gratification — so far he's navigating the emotional aspects of a relationship very poorly.
He looks suitably impressed by the entrance, though, and disregards the innuendo-laden response that came to mind in favour of a more cautiously straightforward one. Tech Boy obviously enjoys showing off, and K's happy to be shown off to. ]
You're full of surprises. That must be useful.
[ Then there's the matter of the "Children", and he isn't sure what to expect, assuming he'll be getting a demonstration. They may not be sentient beings, but. He feels a bit ridiculous and self-conscious sitting there in nothing but his underwear now, and awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. ]
[ Showing off is in fact one of the Technical Boy's favorite things. It's a recognition and appreciation, "give me your undivided attention" sort of impulse, and he does have to admit to himself that he likes it better from K than from almost anyone else. Lacking the red string connection means that, at some point, he's going to need to learn to say these things aloud. Otherwise how will K know? Emotional vulnerability is something he's going to have to work on.
He gives a little bow. ] The surprises are just beginning. There's so much I could show you. [ The flirting smirk is back, and he gives K a once-over appreciative look. ] So much I will show you.
[ With a smooth motion, Tech Boy pulls his cell phone from his pocket. He taps the screen (currently dark) with the fingernail of his index finger then sets it on the edge of K's piano. ]
Not yet. They're in there. Can't use the phone as a phone in this place, so I use an external storage device for some of my less commonly used operational techniques. Not that back where I was pulled from anyone uses phones to talk to other people these days. Of course, they still communicate. Communication and connection is more important than ever, but texting and video is so much more efficient and less a demand on one's time. Face-to-face interaction is a lost art and not really in my bailiwick-- [ He'd been speaking rather quickly as he chases down the point he's trying to make. He moves to K to place a hand on his chest. ] but I'm willing to work on it.
[ squint ] Are you drunk? I knew I wanted some of what you're having.
[ This is certainly preferable to their prior conversation. Maybe this one will go better if he just keeps his mouth shut for a while.
He could also get used to being looked at like that, and he's especially fond of the physical contact. And being what he is, even if his full focus isn't on what he's being told (Tech Boy's physical presence is more distracting than anticipated), he doesn't actually miss a word of it. Which is very convenient at the moment, since what's being relayed to him is clearly important.
His eyes flicker between Tech Boy's hand and his face, and he puzzles over the mood whiplash of the last while. As he thinks to reach to take the god's hand in his, the echo of a familiar refrain in his mind — Do they teach you how to feel, finger to finger? — stops him short, and he curls his fingers into a fist that he rests on his thigh instead. The unconscious straightening of his posture follows. ]
I'm not asking you to change for me. [ He carefully points out. ] If you're more comfortable with text and video— [ Tilting his head in a gesture of acceptance. Lonely as it might become for him, at least he's already accustomed to companionship that lacks any physical elements. It's all he'd known, before Deerington. ]
And I was working on it. Doubt I can get drunk, though. [ Android metabolism. But who knows? Without waiting to be asked, he gets up to locate one of the several open bottles from the kitchen counter, his unfinished glass along with a clean one, and pours a drink for Tech Boy as he's walking back, offering it. ]
[ They're going to have to come back to certain aspects of that previous conversation, but Tech Boy would agree that this is preferable. He would disagree about K keeping his mouth shut, however.
It's Tech Boy's turn to puzzle about the sudden tensing in K, the straightening of his posture and the trajectory of his hand. He frowns, pushing lightly on K's chest with his hand. He drops his head back to glance at the ceiling dramatically with a audible huff of frustration, but it's clearly a put-on annoyance rather than actual irritation. ] Wrong take away. [ He spins in place to watch K's retrieval of the beverages. ] I'm not here in person because you asked, I'm here because I want to be.
Because I can do a lot from inside a screen, but I can't do this. [ He ducks around the offered glass in K's hand so he can slide both of his own hands over K's chest and then wraps himself around K's waist. He still has his vape in one hand, and the attached glass tank (containing the frog) is a bit cold. ] And I like doing this. [ He kisses K's collarbone, then withdraws, taking the offered drink this time. ]
Getting drunk alone and texting me about dancing in the middle of the night for a reason? [ They'd lost the red string telepathy, but the tech-to-tech connection did remain at this distance. No judgment. Just curiosity. ]
[ ... Oh. Apparently he's bound and determined to be wrong about a lot of things tonight. But, in both this instance and regarding the origins of the Children, K's happy to be wrong, and that makes all the difference where his dismal sense of self-esteem is concerned. As does suddenly having an armful of Tech Boy. That surprises a quiet, huffing laugh from him, and he doesn't let the god escape without stealing a kiss himself — missing the mark a little, only managing to catch Tech Boy's chin. He'll have to do something about that in a moment. First, he's going to toss back the remainder of his glass. ] I like you doing that, too.
[ He regrets being incapable of lying to put a better spin on what led to tonight's text. Then again, when texting someone out of the blue in the middle of the night is generally inconsiderate, could sending it deliberately really have been better? ]
I think something's wrong with the network. Someone had mistakenly messaged me, that was supposed to go to them. [ It's admitted reluctantly. ] Seemed rude to not reply. But you received it instead. [ Leaving the bottle and now empty glass on the back of his piano, he steps behind Tech Boy and slips his arms around him, pulling him back against his chest and leaning his chin on his shoulder. Maybe Tech Boy's delivery could use some work, but his blunt honesty absolutely helped. ]
Then you replied — to my legitimate question — and now here we are. If you don't mind texts in the middle of the night... you can expect more legitimate questions in the future.
[ The drinking was unrelated to that. It helps suppress the unusual responses to stress he's been having on occasion, one of which Tech Boy just witnessed. But K's less certain of how to explain that without making it sound like a bigger deal than it is.
The drinking was because I'd had an unpleasant dream. It sounds amusingly juvenile, but it's the truth; possibly inspired by certain recent topics of conversation, he'd dreamt of being locked in that small white room again. As innocuous as it might seem to anyone else, for him it represents a more profound existential horror than he's ever faced in Deerington. A dream within a dream, however that works. ]
[ With K's rams around him, Tech Boy is having trouble multitasking his mind. It's such an odd sensation to be content with this casual (albeit half-naked) physical contact. He settles into it for a few seconds before turning his attention back to all the spoken things that also require his attention. ]
There is something really odd going on with the network at the moment. I'm not complaining if a midnight text message leads to this, but better wait until they stop fucking misbehaving and misfiring before trying to text me in the middle of the night. Someone else may get the wrong idea and walk in on you playing naked jazz standards. [ He drinks about half the glass, pulling a face briefly at the taste. ] Unless you're trying to make me jealous.
[ Both hands full, he uses two fingers to stroke K's arm. He'd been teasing, all previous hurt feelings forgiven, but now he falls serious. A bad dream? ] Wanna talk about it? [ He holds up the vape to K's line of sight. ] Or something stronger than the booze? [ He makes a small noise with his tongue. K had been a cop. ] Maybe you don't partake. But it helps more than drinking. I promise.
[ The naked jazz standards comment has K's shoulders shaking in silent laughter. But more interesting is the mention of jealousy. Even if it's meant in jest, he wonders if there might be any truth hidden behind it; one among a growing list of topics they ought to discuss at some point. In the meantime, he tilts his head to nuzzle Tech Boy's neck, murmuring against his skin: ] I only want you. [ Almost simultaneous with his spoken reply is the thought: In every way there is to want someone.
For his dream to make much sense to anyone else it would require an explanation of his baseline tests, and he isn't sure he wants that sort of singular focus put on his problems right now. Particularly when it runs the risk of souring Tech Boy's mood. But... it could also help him understand K better, and provide some needed context for why he's struggling with the choice of having his programming altered.
While he's thinking on the offer, he eyes the vape curiously. ] What's the frog for?
[ Someone has clearly never vaped before. Though he could make an educated guess.
Something stronger than booze. It begs the obvious question of why Tech Boy partakes as often as he does. ] Are you all right? [ He asks at length, voice still quiet. ] After the ship, Rapture, [ The plasmids. ] all of that. And don't brush me off this time, please. [ As he's speaking, he's carefully walking them backwards toward the sofa, where he pulls Tech Boy down into his lap as he takes a seat, still keeping hold of him. ]
[ Tech Boy doesn't respond aloud to the nuzzle and reaffirmation other than to make a soft sound of enjoyment in his throat and projecting "Good." with his thoughts. Any real conversation about jealousy could happen later. He's not even considering the possibility currently. ]
It's named Toby. [ he says with a giggle, then continues ] The frog is aesthetic because the juice is synthetic Bufotenin. Toad skins. My personal favorite. It's nice, takes the edge off of harsh reality and keeps me level. [ which is saying something considering how emotionally unstable the god is most of the time. ]
[ He goes down to the sofa with K easily, but he finishes his drink and sets the glass down on the floor before getting comfortable for an uncomfortable conversation. ] Fine. I won't brush you off, but you're next. [ Even thinking about what he'd gone through in Rapture and the subsequent month of detox, causes him enough anxiety that he fidgets the vape in his hand. ] I'm fine now, but it hurt at first. Like flesh from the bones bad. Then it itched, like a wound healing slowly. I think now I'm just paranoid. That it'll come back... and about other things. Which is why I'm watching. [ the increased voyeurism thing. ] And I don't sleep. I can, but I haven't been.
[ Looking thoughtful, he puts the vape to his lips... but he removes it without triggering it, deciding at the last moment that he doesn't want to blow smoke in K's face. That's an interrogation tactic for him, and he's not even going to accidentally do that to K unless K chooses to join him on the trip. ]
[ So even gods suffer the effects of addiction and withdrawal. He'd had the feeling it was going to be bad after seeing evidence of what heavy usage did to other people. But there's no desire to say I told you so; there's only regret that he wasn't able to help. That Tech Boy never let on how bad it was, and presumably chose to handle it completely alone.
With the string connection, all K'd had to deal with was the acute separation anxiety whenever they were apart. It's hard to imagine managing that while also going through extreme withdrawal... ]
I wish I could've helped. If you're ever that bad off again, for any reason, I'd like you to tell me. Don't shut me out. That's the only way this— [ Gesturing between them. ] Is going to work. I signed up for the good and the bad.
[ His delivery is too gentle to be taken as a lecture, at least by the standards of most people. But having learnt how sensitive Tech Boy is to any perceived criticism, he attempts to further soften the impact of his words by slipping his hands beneath the god's shirt, languidly stroking along his sides in soothing motions. ]
You can not-sleep with me if you ever want to. [ And K knows how that sounds, judging by his small smile. Barring recovery from injuries, he requires less sleep than his human counterparts, so Tech Boy could have conscious company for most the night. ] What other things are you paranoid about?
[ At that obvious hesitation, he nods toward the vape to indicate he'll try it. But his own hands are otherwise occupied, so it's up to Tech Boy to decide how he wants to share it. At worst it may not have much of an effect on him, K figures, but he's curious now. ]
[ First things first, because apparently this conversation is going to require a bit more steel than Tech Boy had anticipated when he first popped over. Given consent and the current position of K's hands, here's a trick he doesn't get the opportunity to use very often. He makes significant eye contact with K as he brings the vape back to his lips, but then closes his eyes as he slowly draws a mouthful of the odd-smelling vapor. Leaning in close enough as if he's going to kiss K, his eyes flutter back open. ] Inhale. [ He parts his lips to slowly exhale the smoke. He's going to be watching K's reaction to this very, very carefully. ]
I'm a god, K. [ His voice carries a softer edge than usual. ] We're not in the habit of admitting our weaknesses. Not to ourselves, and not to anyone else. It's dangerous to be vulnerable. [ a soft kiss on the lips. ] But I guess now you know.
[ And K does, showing no signs of hesitation as he inhales deeply and suppresses the initial impulse to cough. Markedly different from the nicotine he's tried before, that much is immediately apparent to him, though it takes several more moments before the synthetic Bufotenin begins to really affect him. Subtly at first, with the faint flush that's spreading across his skin — from the chest up — and the movements of his hands become even gentler as he focuses on the sensations, eyes partially closing at the barely there brush of Tech Boy's lips on his. Everything seems to blur a little at the edges in a way that makes him feel... loose.
Even Tech Boy is blurring in his vision, changing. Being revealed. ]
Dangerous to be vulnerable out there. You don't have to pretend here. Not with me. [ He says quietly, bringing one of his hands up to lightly touch Tech Boy's altered face in fascination. Then leans in to return the prior kiss, warm and insistent, before whispering: ] I see you. [ And through their connection is the echo of a thought, dreadfully distinct. ]
[ The first hit always takes everyone a little differently, and Tech Boy can practically see it work itself through K's system. The gentler touches almost tickle, and he smiles to himself because K's clearly a lightweight for the stuff and riding the sensation high. One or two more of those, and K'll barely remember the word stress. Hopefully it'll also soothe his bad dreams.
Tech Boy knows what K's seeing when he looks at him. The god's hi-res human-looking form is the first to deteriorate in his own particularly astringent vapor cloud. It'll snap back to normal soon enough, but K's welcome to feel it as long as its visible. He's solid, but the godflesh tingles like faint static. The kiss brings him back. ] I'd hope so. [ to either comment. or both. ]
[ Sliding onto K's lap to properly face him, he straddles K's thighs, leaving some space between their bodies (for now). He takes a slow draw from the vape himself, inhaling from his mouth to his nose, then slowly exhaling the cloud between them. He's certain there are more questions that needed answers tonight, but the thought he'd picked up through their connection has him puzzled. ] Dreadfully? [ --distinct. It sounded vaguely rote to Tech Boy. ]
[ He's giving the god a pointed look through the smoke slowly curling toward the ceiling between them. As appealing as it is to sink into the effects of the drug, he can't bring himself to fully let go just yet. Not when this topic feels like standing on the edge of a yawning void. Though his thoughts are growing hazy. ]
From a poem... my favourite poem. [ It's the truth, at least, even if it's wrapped up in a little deflection. Apparently he'll have to work up to the topic. He hums low in his throat as he settles against the back of the sofa, letting his hands drift as his thoughts do, simply wanting to touch Tech Boy. Which is his default state these days, but it's especially nice right now. ]
Sorry about the voyeurism comments. [ He says while smoothing his hands up Tech Boy's thighs. ] I'm not very good at... [ Joking. Banter. Flirting. Being a person. He's not sure what best applies here. ] What was wrong, before? When I asked you to show me. I hope you know you don't have to perform for me.
I didn't know you were into poetry. You'll have to tell me more, sometime.
[ Tech Boy taps K's hand on his thigh with the vape. Not as an offer, more of an impatient gesture like tapping his finger. He has no reason to mistrust K's answer, but something in that look make him think it's a bigger deal than he's letting on. Later, if K's not ready for it now. Even if he's wrong and it's just poetry, there's reluctance, and the god's not pushing.
Not that the topic shift makes Tech Boy any more comfortable. Smoking mellows him out, and K assured him he can be vulnerable, but this is icky not-dreamworld stuff. Tech Boy supposes if he didn't hold such long grudges, he may have even been over it by now. ] No, you're fine at-- [ vague hand wave to indicate the missing word. ] You don't need to apologize. I have no complaints.
[ but he huffs a little, exhaling a remnant of vapor from his lungs. Well. K wanted honesty. Fine. ] That particular phrase, the way you said it. "Show me." I got burned by people I thought I could fucking trust. No... I fucking knew I couldn't trust them. [ He can feel himself getting angry again, and this is why he smokes. This time, the draw is faster and more deliberate, and he blows the smoke away from K instead. ] "Show me." Prove yourself. Fuck him. [ He tosses the vape away to the far side of the sofa with a violent flick. ]
[ Placing his hands on K's, he leans forward and slowly slides them up K's bare arms. He meets K's eyes, dilated and slightly intense with that antique monitor glow in his eyes. ] If I perform for you, it's because I want to. I want you to know how lucky you've gotten. [ Oh, so humble. --and how lucky I've gotten. ]
I don't take that for granted. I'm incredibly lucky to have the regard of the God of Technology.
[ Carefully enunciating those capital letters as he slides one hand inward, between Tech Boy's legs, and lightly traces the outline of his cock through the material of his clothing while holding the eye contact. A fairly blatant attempt to redirect his emotions away from anger, but it'll be easy enough to stop K if the contact isn't wanted right now. For all he knows, maybe it feels good to be angry while high; he's still learning Tech Boy's idiosyncrasies. ]
And if you're going to fuck anyone— [ He raises his eyebrows with a slight smile. ] I'm sorry for what happened to you, though. [ And now he knows to maybe avoid using that particular phrase in the future...
With his free hand he reaches for the thrown vape, holding it up to get a better look at the frog. ]
While snubbing gods, including the big G, Iph borrowed some peripheral debris From mystic visions; and it offered tips (The amber spectacles for life's eclipse)— How not to panic when you're made a ghost: Sidle and slide, choose a smooth surd, and coast, Meet solid bodies and glissade right through, Or let a person circulate through you.
[ He'd said he wanted to hear some poetry, so no time like the present. Afterward K pauses and looks up from his contemplation of Toby. ]
[ The Technical Boy does appreciate significant capital letters, but he does almost tell K he doesn't have to try so hard to please him when K's hand begins to slide. Tech Boy breaks eye contact to glance down with something very like alarm for a moment before immediately relaxing and pressing into the touch. Maybe there's more cause to flatter the god than he's allowing himself, so he stays silent on that matter.
Regaining eye contact as if the faux pas never happened, he folds his hands behind K's neck as he recites poetry. ]
what to do On suddenly discovering that you Are now a young and vulnerable toad Plump in the middle of a busy road, Or a bear cub beneath a burning pine, Or a book mite in a revived divine.
[ He blinks. ] Why the fuck do I know that and can't remember Yeats on cue?
[ but then he grows still and serious. ] Two yes, and one no. [ then barely a whisper ] They retired me. How dare they. How fucking dare they. [ but there's no anger in it this time. Only pain. He leans forward to rest his forehead against K's. ] I don't want to talk about this right now.
[ Oh. He knows the poem, or possibly used the network to find it; it still counts. But K's delighted smile is short-lived, fading at the mention of Tech Boy having been retired. What are the odds the human-coined term for executing androids could have a very similar context among gods, particularly for the god of technology? He can't know for certain, and Tech Boy's request makes him hesitant to ask for clarification, but... it's a chilling coincidence.
If he weren't so accustomed to suppressing his "problematic" reactions (read: likely to upset humans or draw unwanted attention to himself) he would have shuddered. The internal horror he feels is all the worse for the lack of physical expression.
After a long moment, his faintly shaking hands come to rest on either side of Tech Boy's face, thumbs lightly stroking his skin. K's eyes are closed as he concentrates on one of his memories of walking through downtown Los Angeles, his perfect recall recreating the details in flawless clarity for Tech Boy. For K, an unremarkable day. But for someone who's never experienced it—
It's a sea of neon and noise.
Behemoth skyscrapers several hundred storeys high are covered with projected holographic adverts, a shimmering holographic ballerina pirouetting between them. Loud speakers attached to aerial screens shill off-world tours for exorbitant prices. A caravan of flying cars zip overhead at breakneck speed through the perpetually overcast sky — in the memory, K's eyes briefly follow them as they disappear into the distance.
There are slow-moving, tankish street cleaners to detoxify the rain and snow that never cease, taxis, rickshaws; but the majority of people are on foot — hundreds crowding the streets, most armed with umbrellas. Because of this, there's an occasional snarled 'fucking skinjob' and the like from human passers-by, including his own human coworkers of the LAPD. The encounters are immediately followed by glimpses of the wet, snow-covered pavement from K averting his eyes to avoid conflict.
As he heads deeper into the market, he's greeted by walls of vending machines with animated screens. The market is subdivided by stalls, stations, shops, all under bright lights; the eclectic crowd of customers in a crush to purchase food and drink, entertainment, gadgets. And of course there's the Wallace Corporation's ubiquitous presence, offering synthetic food solutions, a variety of services, holographic companions (some can be seen walking and flirting with their human users), as well as K's own kind just like any other product being sold to the masses, with a lurid emphasis placed on the pleasure models that are available. They're all designed to be used in one way or another, as he'd said.
But the main takeaway he's hoping Tech Boy will have is that technology is everywhere, old, new, a blending of both, an integral part of the world. The humans of K's world are no longer able to survive without technology in a very literal sense — the ecosystems have collapsed. Without the technology that develops synthetic food sources, they would all starve. Without replicant slave labour to colonise other planets, they would all die on the one they've all but destroyed.
A grim future, perhaps, but technologically beautiful. ]
[ The fact that K's hands are shaking when they touch his face knocks the god out of his misery just enough for him to slide one of his own hands to place it over K's heart, seeking the cause of that distress. He has time to think "what a fucking roller coaster night" to himself before he feels the pressure of K's memory. Taking a deep breath, the god relaxes, closes his eyes again, and receives it.
This connection. They'd touched before, but nothing quite on this scale. Tech Boy is seeing a real memory of the future through K's own eyes. And what he sees, it's... awe inspiring.
When they'd first met, the god had immediately analysed a few things about K himself and about the technologically advanced future he must have come from. He'd known his own divine influence must have survived in some capacity to inspire the creation of the beautifully and intricately fashioned replicants such as the one on front of him. Seeing it first-hand, however.... The prevalence of and unprecedented reliance on this technology, it... It stripped him of words. Whatever preconceived notion he had entertained but had never bothered to confirm is completely blown out of the water by K's reality.
Even though the memory playback is not designed to look for the divine touch, Tech Boy can see evidence of his own hand (or a version of it) at work here. Clearly Media's, too, as the two gods had never and would never truly be rid of each other. While he hadn't (as of 2018) developed the initial idea for most of what he's seeing, with a glance he could backwards engineer much of it. It's exceptional work. Clever application. Embraced wholesale by the masses and thriving. Evolving. Grim as it may be, this is a vision of the future that the New Gods would have hoped for.
This is also a future a binary god would birth in the mind of a genius and then never see into fruition. It would take an upgraded iteration of the God of Technology to produce this, not himself. And knowing that, he's glad he's seeing it now.
Sort of.
Even as he's marveling at a larger view K's world, Tech Boy doesn't miss the behavior of others towards K himself. The fact that K averts his gaze at the insults from the humans who pass him. Intelligent, self-aware beings treated as lesser than and sold as a commodity. Nothing synthetic in Tech Boy's own time has developed enough sentience to warrant his direct protection from human meddling, but seeing it here drives deep an almost parental instinct. The mistreatment is appalling. Completely foreseeable and exactly what he'd expect, knowing humans as he does, but distasteful and disappointing. This is how they treat his divine inspiration to their species? Forever ungrateful, the whole lot of them. ]
How beautiful [ he says aloud, voice low ] and how fucking vulgar. [ Tech Boy kisses K's lips softly, feeling like every nerve is lit up. His eyes remain closed because he doesn't entirely know what will happens when he opens them again. The one thing he knows for sure is that he's not intending to let go of K anytime soon. ]
[ Maybe he could have made an effort to conceal some of those unpleasant aspects, presented a more idealised version of events, but it's so good to feel... seen, and understood. Truly understood, on a visceral level. Describing what life is like for replicants in his homeworld can't begin to compare to the actual experience of it, which is probably true for most experiences. But that's still secondary to the reason why he chose to share what he did.
He's smiling into the kiss and continues to hold Tech Boy's face between his hands, resuming the gentle stroking motions with his thumbs, savouring the contact. ]
No matter what they may do to you— [ The ones whom Tech Boy had referred to having retired him. And the thought of it still has K vaguely nauseous, but he presses on quietly. ] You're here to stay. There can't be a future without you. Even when the world is collapsing, you'll live on.
[ Across a dozen other planets, eventually carried to other galaxies. By replicants, undoubtedly. And maybe one day of their own volition. ]
I exist because of you. [ Indirectly, maybe, but he's prepared to silence Tech Boy with another kiss if he tries to argue semantics. ] Like I told you, I'm incredibly lucky. [ And there's no need for the God of Technology to pretend to be humble right now. K's grateful to have been trusted with that glimpse of his pain, before, and hopes any of this might help ease it, however briefly. ]
[ Tech Boy is grateful in return for the whole experience and never wants K to censor anything about himself, no matter how unpleasant. Exposing pain and vulnerability is apparently the theme for the night, and it's strangely liberating. He wants to understand K, and to be understood himself. It's a freedom he's never allowed himself out of fear of getting hurt. Or used. He doesn't fear that with K.
His thoughts linger on the memory, replaying what he recalls. The negative reactions of others toward the replicant population and K himself... it makes Tech Boy wish he could have been there for him sooner. Humans must have settled their differences amongst each other and traded racism for bigotry against synthetics. Humanity remains constantly disappointing.
But K... and his world... are marvels. The tension seems to melt from his body as he relaxes into K's touch, hooked on his words.
He does open his mouth to protest and will gladly accept a kiss instead. It's complicated, but some way he does survive. He hasn't died. Not for good. Hasn't failed. Not for long. With the chill of weakness fading, he begins to caress K's chest with the hand he'd been resting over his heart. ]
[ It may have taken a fair bit of stumbling through uncertainties and fears to arrive here, but K thinks it was well worth the effort to be able to feel the tension leaving Tech Boy like that and knowing he helped. He finally found the right words, and they were enough; he was enough, instead of being found lacking in some way, as he's so accustomed to. Pleasant as the synthetic Bufotenin makes him feel, it doesn't begin to compare to this — actually feeling good about himself.
He sighs out a breath, a quiet sound of contentment at Tech Boy's touch. And maybe he shouldn't read too much into the placement of his hand, but it's... sweet, disarmingly so. Not a word he'd normally associate with this particular god, but he does have his moments lately. ]
Are you in the mood to let me see what you were working on? [ A tentative question (carefully avoiding a request to show me) as he lowers his hands to either side of Tech Boy's neck, not willing to let him go just yet. A chance for Tech Boy to show off if he wants to. ] Or do you want to come to bed with me? [ He offers a slight smile. ] I'll bet I could read you to sleep.
[ If sleep is what he wants. Or they could stay like this. K clearly isn't in a hurry to get up. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
brandnewtech) wrote2019-09-29 05:00 am
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And it also seems he was wrong, if they're an extension of Tech Boy. ]
I don't mind you watching me. But I can't imagine it's very entertaining. Have you only recently started doing that? Seems unfair that I can't do the same with you.
My assumptions were wrong, then. I apologise. [ Guess who's had ample experience anticipating and defusing others' volatile emotions before they explode on him? It's likely overkill in this instance, but caution is preferable to making Tech Boy angry.
And a few moments after that last text he switches to video, because he would like to actually be able to see Tech Boy's face and hear his voice, to have a better indication of his mood. ]
But I'm still curious about them. You said it's easier to show me. [ A beat. ] Or I could always come over.
video;
He's still in exactly this position when he switches to match K's video. The featureless white behind him indicates that he's inside the network and not physically inside his own apartment. He lowers his hand and flicks the fringe out of his eyes with a nod of his head. ]
I've been keeping an eye on everything for a while. Hazards of the gig. But you texted me tonight. Best direct line of communication. [ He shrugs, a smile tugging at his lips. ] Just wanted to see you. The rest was a bonus.
[ He gets irritated very easily, but it can also cool quickly. And he can't find any reason to be anything other than pleased to see K. ]
It's faster if I came to see you.
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And luckily K's too tech savvy to ever ""accidentally"" broadcast roboporn to the network.]So you can come faster. [ Said with a perfectly straight expression and without missing a beat, because he just couldn't help himself (though he does hope it's taken in the spirit it was intended, which is negotiations are still on). And then he tilts his head. ] Show me.
[ And Tech Boy's free to interpret that as he will. ]
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Those last two words bring Tech Boy up a bit short. His facial expression flashes through a range of unbidden emotion--sadness, anger, pain, distress, frustration, and even fear--in the blink of an eye before resting back into a smile that is sincere, albeit significantly less confident than probably anyone else has seen from him. He looks down.
There are definitely topics about which he's much too sensitive to take in a joking tone. His fight for K's freedom from his oppressive programming and his handler's conditioning is one of them. This is another. There's no way K could have known those two words were the last the CEO had spoken to him before he'd been betrayed and deleted. Spoken in a thematically similar context. Prove yourself. Tech Boy's annoyed they still have that kind of power over him.
Fuck that. Time to recoup. ]
I will.
[ K's seen his partial transformation from physical to digital during the creation of the flower app, and this is that on a larger scale. Emerging from the Network into the physical realm is one of his favorite flashy entrances and is demonstrating his power in exactly the way K requested. He appears slightly out of reach from K, body language completely at ease as if it cost him no great expenditure of energy to preform the feat. As easy as breathing. The pleased facial expression is back. ]
For when speed matters.
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Without knowing the actual context behind that shift in the god's expression, K's left to assume it's most likely his attempts at flirtation going awry, much like his teasing had. Now he worries it all came across as antagonistically mean-spirited. Little wonder why replicants are normally only used for physical gratification — so far he's navigating the emotional aspects of a relationship very poorly.
He looks suitably impressed by the entrance, though, and disregards the innuendo-laden response that came to mind in favour of a more cautiously straightforward one. Tech Boy obviously enjoys showing off, and K's happy to be shown off to. ]
You're full of surprises. That must be useful.
[ Then there's the matter of the "Children", and he isn't sure what to expect, assuming he'll be getting a demonstration. They may not be sentient beings, but. He feels a bit ridiculous and self-conscious sitting there in nothing but his underwear now, and awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. ]
Are we going to be having company?
video --> action (2 comments ago)
He gives a little bow. ] The surprises are just beginning. There's so much I could show you. [ The flirting smirk is back, and he gives K a once-over appreciative look. ] So much I will show you.
[ With a smooth motion, Tech Boy pulls his cell phone from his pocket. He taps the screen (currently dark) with the fingernail of his index finger then sets it on the edge of K's piano. ]
Not yet. They're in there. Can't use the phone as a phone in this place, so I use an external storage device for some of my less commonly used operational techniques. Not that back where I was pulled from anyone uses phones to talk to other people these days. Of course, they still communicate. Communication and connection is more important than ever, but texting and video is so much more efficient and less a demand on one's time. Face-to-face interaction is a lost art and not really in my bailiwick-- [ He'd been speaking rather quickly as he chases down the point he's trying to make. He moves to K to place a hand on his chest. ] but I'm willing to work on it.
[ squint ] Are you drunk? I knew I wanted some of what you're having.
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He could also get used to being looked at like that, and he's especially fond of the physical contact. And being what he is, even if his full focus isn't on what he's being told (Tech Boy's physical presence is more distracting than anticipated), he doesn't actually miss a word of it. Which is very convenient at the moment, since what's being relayed to him is clearly important.
His eyes flicker between Tech Boy's hand and his face, and he puzzles over the mood whiplash of the last while. As he thinks to reach to take the god's hand in his, the echo of a familiar refrain in his mind — Do they teach you how to feel, finger to finger? — stops him short, and he curls his fingers into a fist that he rests on his thigh instead. The unconscious straightening of his posture follows. ]
I'm not asking you to change for me. [ He carefully points out. ] If you're more comfortable with text and video— [ Tilting his head in a gesture of acceptance. Lonely as it might become for him, at least he's already accustomed to companionship that lacks any physical elements. It's all he'd known, before Deerington. ]
And I was working on it. Doubt I can get drunk, though. [ Android metabolism. But who knows? Without waiting to be asked, he gets up to locate one of the several open bottles from the kitchen counter, his unfinished glass along with a clean one, and pours a drink for Tech Boy as he's walking back, offering it. ]
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It's Tech Boy's turn to puzzle about the sudden tensing in K, the straightening of his posture and the trajectory of his hand. He frowns, pushing lightly on K's chest with his hand. He drops his head back to glance at the ceiling dramatically with a audible huff of frustration, but it's clearly a put-on annoyance rather than actual irritation. ] Wrong take away. [ He spins in place to watch K's retrieval of the beverages. ] I'm not here in person because you asked, I'm here because I want to be.
Because I can do a lot from inside a screen, but I can't do this. [ He ducks around the offered glass in K's hand so he can slide both of his own hands over K's chest and then wraps himself around K's waist. He still has his vape in one hand, and the attached glass tank (containing the frog) is a bit cold. ] And I like doing this. [ He kisses K's collarbone, then withdraws, taking the offered drink this time. ]
Getting drunk alone and texting me about dancing in the middle of the night for a reason? [ They'd lost the red string telepathy, but the tech-to-tech connection did remain at this distance. No judgment. Just curiosity. ]
https://i.imgur.com/XjcuC2i.jpg
[ He regrets being incapable of lying to put a better spin on what led to tonight's text. Then again, when texting someone out of the blue in the middle of the night is generally inconsiderate, could sending it deliberately really have been better? ]
I think something's wrong with the network. Someone had mistakenly messaged me, that was supposed to go to them. [ It's admitted reluctantly. ] Seemed rude to not reply. But you received it instead. [ Leaving the bottle and now empty glass on the back of his piano, he steps behind Tech Boy and slips his arms around him, pulling him back against his chest and leaning his chin on his shoulder. Maybe Tech Boy's delivery could use some work, but his blunt honesty absolutely helped. ]
Then you replied — to my legitimate question — and now here we are. If you don't mind texts in the middle of the night... you can expect more legitimate questions in the future.
[ The drinking was unrelated to that. It helps suppress the unusual responses to stress he's been having on occasion, one of which Tech Boy just witnessed. But K's less certain of how to explain that without making it sound like a bigger deal than it is.
The drinking was because I'd had an unpleasant dream. It sounds amusingly juvenile, but it's the truth; possibly inspired by certain recent topics of conversation, he'd dreamt of being locked in that small white room again. As innocuous as it might seem to anyone else, for him it represents a more profound existential horror than he's ever faced in Deerington. A dream within a dream, however that works. ]
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There is something really odd going on with the network at the moment. I'm not complaining if a midnight text message leads to this, but better wait until they stop fucking misbehaving and misfiring before trying to text me in the middle of the night. Someone else may get the wrong idea and walk in on you playing naked jazz standards. [ He drinks about half the glass, pulling a face briefly at the taste. ] Unless you're trying to make me jealous.
[ Both hands full, he uses two fingers to stroke K's arm. He'd been teasing, all previous hurt feelings forgiven, but now he falls serious. A bad dream? ] Wanna talk about it? [ He holds up the vape to K's line of sight. ] Or something stronger than the booze? [ He makes a small noise with his tongue. K had been a cop. ] Maybe you don't partake. But it helps more than drinking. I promise.
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For his dream to make much sense to anyone else it would require an explanation of his baseline tests, and he isn't sure he wants that sort of singular focus put on his problems right now. Particularly when it runs the risk of souring Tech Boy's mood. But... it could also help him understand K better, and provide some needed context for why he's struggling with the choice of having his programming altered.
While he's thinking on the offer, he eyes the vape curiously. ] What's the frog for?
[ Someone has clearly never vaped before. Though he could make an educated guess.
Something stronger than booze. It begs the obvious question of why Tech Boy partakes as often as he does. ] Are you all right? [ He asks at length, voice still quiet. ] After the ship, Rapture, [ The plasmids. ] all of that. And don't brush me off this time, please. [ As he's speaking, he's carefully walking them backwards toward the sofa, where he pulls Tech Boy down into his lap as he takes a seat, still keeping hold of him. ]
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It's named Toby. [ he says with a giggle, then continues ] The frog is aesthetic because the juice is synthetic Bufotenin. Toad skins. My personal favorite. It's nice, takes the edge off of harsh reality and keeps me level. [ which is saying something considering how emotionally unstable the god is most of the time. ]
[ He goes down to the sofa with K easily, but he finishes his drink and sets the glass down on the floor before getting comfortable for an uncomfortable conversation. ] Fine. I won't brush you off, but you're next. [ Even thinking about what he'd gone through in Rapture and the subsequent month of detox, causes him enough anxiety that he fidgets the vape in his hand. ] I'm fine now, but it hurt at first. Like flesh from the bones bad. Then it itched, like a wound healing slowly. I think now I'm just paranoid. That it'll come back... and about other things. Which is why I'm watching. [ the increased voyeurism thing. ] And I don't sleep. I can, but I haven't been.
[ Looking thoughtful, he puts the vape to his lips... but he removes it without triggering it, deciding at the last moment that he doesn't want to blow smoke in K's face. That's an interrogation tactic for him, and he's not even going to accidentally do that to K unless K chooses to join him on the trip. ]
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With the string connection, all K'd had to deal with was the acute separation anxiety whenever they were apart. It's hard to imagine managing that while also going through extreme withdrawal... ]
I wish I could've helped. If you're ever that bad off again, for any reason, I'd like you to tell me. Don't shut me out. That's the only way this— [ Gesturing between them. ] Is going to work. I signed up for the good and the bad.
[ His delivery is too gentle to be taken as a lecture, at least by the standards of most people. But having learnt how sensitive Tech Boy is to any perceived criticism, he attempts to further soften the impact of his words by slipping his hands beneath the god's shirt, languidly stroking along his sides in soothing motions. ]
You can not-sleep with me if you ever want to. [ And K knows how that sounds, judging by his small smile. Barring recovery from injuries, he requires less sleep than his human counterparts, so Tech Boy could have conscious company for most the night. ] What other things are you paranoid about?
[ At that obvious hesitation, he nods toward the vape to indicate he'll try it. But his own hands are otherwise occupied, so it's up to Tech Boy to decide how he wants to share it. At worst it may not have much of an effect on him, K figures, but he's curious now. ]
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I'm a god, K. [ His voice carries a softer edge than usual. ] We're not in the habit of admitting our weaknesses. Not to ourselves, and not to anyone else. It's dangerous to be vulnerable. [ a soft kiss on the lips. ] But I guess now you know.
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Even Tech Boy is blurring in his vision, changing. Being revealed. ]
Dangerous to be vulnerable out there. You don't have to pretend here. Not with me. [ He says quietly, bringing one of his hands up to lightly touch Tech Boy's altered face in fascination. Then leans in to return the prior kiss, warm and insistent, before whispering: ] I see you. [ And through their connection is the echo of a thought, dreadfully distinct. ]
cw: drug use (two comments ago)
Tech Boy knows what K's seeing when he looks at him. The god's hi-res human-looking form is the first to deteriorate in his own particularly astringent vapor cloud. It'll snap back to normal soon enough, but K's welcome to feel it as long as its visible. He's solid, but the godflesh tingles like faint static. The kiss brings him back. ] I'd hope so. [ to either comment. or both. ]
[ Sliding onto K's lap to properly face him, he straddles K's thighs, leaving some space between their bodies (for now). He takes a slow draw from the vape himself, inhaling from his mouth to his nose, then slowly exhaling the cloud between them. He's certain there are more questions that needed answers tonight, but the thought he'd picked up through their connection has him puzzled. ] Dreadfully? [ --distinct. It sounded vaguely rote to Tech Boy. ]
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From a poem... my favourite poem. [ It's the truth, at least, even if it's wrapped up in a little deflection. Apparently he'll have to work up to the topic. He hums low in his throat as he settles against the back of the sofa, letting his hands drift as his thoughts do, simply wanting to touch Tech Boy. Which is his default state these days, but it's especially nice right now. ]
Sorry about the voyeurism comments. [ He says while smoothing his hands up Tech Boy's thighs. ] I'm not very good at... [ Joking. Banter. Flirting. Being a person. He's not sure what best applies here. ] What was wrong, before? When I asked you to show me. I hope you know you don't have to perform for me.
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[ Tech Boy taps K's hand on his thigh with the vape. Not as an offer, more of an impatient gesture like tapping his finger. He has no reason to mistrust K's answer, but something in that look make him think it's a bigger deal than he's letting on. Later, if K's not ready for it now. Even if he's wrong and it's just poetry, there's reluctance, and the god's not pushing.
Not that the topic shift makes Tech Boy any more comfortable. Smoking mellows him out, and K assured him he can be vulnerable, but this is icky not-dreamworld stuff. Tech Boy supposes if he didn't hold such long grudges, he may have even been over it by now. ] No, you're fine at-- [ vague hand wave to indicate the missing word. ] You don't need to apologize. I have no complaints.
[ but he huffs a little, exhaling a remnant of vapor from his lungs. Well. K wanted honesty. Fine. ] That particular phrase, the way you said it. "Show me." I got burned by people I thought I could fucking trust. No... I fucking knew I couldn't trust them. [ He can feel himself getting angry again, and this is why he smokes. This time, the draw is faster and more deliberate, and he blows the smoke away from K instead. ] "Show me." Prove yourself. Fuck him. [ He tosses the vape away to the far side of the sofa with a violent flick. ]
[ Placing his hands on K's, he leans forward and slowly slides them up K's bare arms. He meets K's eyes, dilated and slightly intense with that antique monitor glow in his eyes. ] If I perform for you, it's because I want to. I want you to know how lucky you've gotten. [ Oh, so humble. --and how lucky I've gotten. ]
cw: drugs and sexual content
[ Carefully enunciating those capital letters as he slides one hand inward, between Tech Boy's legs, and lightly traces the outline of his cock through the material of his clothing while holding the eye contact. A fairly blatant attempt to redirect his emotions away from anger, but it'll be easy enough to stop K if the contact isn't wanted right now. For all he knows, maybe it feels good to be angry while high; he's still learning Tech Boy's idiosyncrasies. ]
And if you're going to fuck anyone— [ He raises his eyebrows with a slight smile. ] I'm sorry for what happened to you, though. [ And now he knows to maybe avoid using that particular phrase in the future...
With his free hand he reaches for the thrown vape, holding it up to get a better look at the frog. ]
While snubbing gods, including the big G,
Iph borrowed some peripheral debris
From mystic visions; and it offered tips
(The amber spectacles for life's eclipse)—
How not to panic when you're made a ghost:
Sidle and slide, choose a smooth surd, and coast,
Meet solid bodies and glissade right through,
Or let a person circulate through you.
[ He'd said he wanted to hear some poetry, so no time like the present. Afterward K pauses and looks up from his contemplation of Toby. ]
Were these other gods who abused your trust?
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Regaining eye contact as if the faux pas never happened, he folds his hands behind K's neck as he recites poetry. ]
what to do
On suddenly discovering that you
Are now a young and vulnerable toad
Plump in the middle of a busy road,
Or a bear cub beneath a burning pine,
Or a book mite in a revived divine.
[ He blinks. ] Why the fuck do I know that and can't remember Yeats on cue?
[ but then he grows still and serious. ] Two yes, and one no. [ then barely a whisper ] They retired me. How dare they. How fucking dare they. [ but there's no anger in it this time. Only pain. He leans forward to rest his forehead against K's. ] I don't want to talk about this right now.
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If he weren't so accustomed to suppressing his "problematic" reactions (read: likely to upset humans or draw unwanted attention to himself) he would have shuddered. The internal horror he feels is all the worse for the lack of physical expression.
After a long moment, his faintly shaking hands come to rest on either side of Tech Boy's face, thumbs lightly stroking his skin. K's eyes are closed as he concentrates on one of his memories of walking through downtown Los Angeles, his perfect recall recreating the details in flawless clarity for Tech Boy. For K, an unremarkable day. But for someone who's never experienced it—
It's a sea of neon and noise.
Behemoth skyscrapers several hundred storeys high are covered with projected holographic adverts, a shimmering holographic ballerina pirouetting between them. Loud speakers attached to aerial screens shill off-world tours for exorbitant prices. A caravan of flying cars zip overhead at breakneck speed through the perpetually overcast sky — in the memory, K's eyes briefly follow them as they disappear into the distance.
There are slow-moving, tankish street cleaners to detoxify the rain and snow that never cease, taxis, rickshaws; but the majority of people are on foot — hundreds crowding the streets, most armed with umbrellas. Because of this, there's an occasional snarled 'fucking skinjob' and the like from human passers-by, including his own human coworkers of the LAPD. The encounters are immediately followed by glimpses of the wet, snow-covered pavement from K averting his eyes to avoid conflict.
As he heads deeper into the market, he's greeted by walls of vending machines with animated screens. The market is subdivided by stalls, stations, shops, all under bright lights; the eclectic crowd of customers in a crush to purchase food and drink, entertainment, gadgets. And of course there's the Wallace Corporation's ubiquitous presence, offering synthetic food solutions, a variety of services, holographic companions (some can be seen walking and flirting with their human users), as well as K's own kind just like any other product being sold to the masses, with a lurid emphasis placed on the pleasure models that are available. They're all designed to be used in one way or another, as he'd said.
But the main takeaway he's hoping Tech Boy will have is that technology is everywhere, old, new, a blending of both, an integral part of the world. The humans of K's world are no longer able to survive without technology in a very literal sense — the ecosystems have collapsed. Without the technology that develops synthetic food sources, they would all starve. Without replicant slave labour to colonise other planets, they would all die on the one they've all but destroyed.
A grim future, perhaps, but technologically beautiful. ]
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This connection. They'd touched before, but nothing quite on this scale. Tech Boy is seeing a real memory of the future through K's own eyes. And what he sees, it's... awe inspiring.
When they'd first met, the god had immediately analysed a few things about K himself and about the technologically advanced future he must have come from. He'd known his own divine influence must have survived in some capacity to inspire the creation of the beautifully and intricately fashioned replicants such as the one on front of him. Seeing it first-hand, however.... The prevalence of and unprecedented reliance on this technology, it... It stripped him of words. Whatever preconceived notion he had entertained but had never bothered to confirm is completely blown out of the water by K's reality.
Even though the memory playback is not designed to look for the divine touch, Tech Boy can see evidence of his own hand (or a version of it) at work here. Clearly Media's, too, as the two gods had never and would never truly be rid of each other. While he hadn't (as of 2018) developed the initial idea for most of what he's seeing, with a glance he could backwards engineer much of it. It's exceptional work. Clever application. Embraced wholesale by the masses and thriving. Evolving. Grim as it may be, this is a vision of the future that the New Gods would have hoped for.
This is also a future a binary god would birth in the mind of a genius and then never see into fruition. It would take an upgraded iteration of the God of Technology to produce this, not himself. And knowing that, he's glad he's seeing it now.
Sort of.
Even as he's marveling at a larger view K's world, Tech Boy doesn't miss the behavior of others towards K himself. The fact that K averts his gaze at the insults from the humans who pass him. Intelligent, self-aware beings treated as lesser than and sold as a commodity. Nothing synthetic in Tech Boy's own time has developed enough sentience to warrant his direct protection from human meddling, but seeing it here drives deep an almost parental instinct. The mistreatment is appalling. Completely foreseeable and exactly what he'd expect, knowing humans as he does, but distasteful and disappointing. This is how they treat his divine inspiration to their species? Forever ungrateful, the whole lot of them. ]
How beautiful [ he says aloud, voice low ] and how fucking vulgar. [ Tech Boy kisses K's lips softly, feeling like every nerve is lit up. His eyes remain closed because he doesn't entirely know what will happens when he opens them again. The one thing he knows for sure is that he's not intending to let go of K anytime soon. ]
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He's smiling into the kiss and continues to hold Tech Boy's face between his hands, resuming the gentle stroking motions with his thumbs, savouring the contact. ]
No matter what they may do to you— [ The ones whom Tech Boy had referred to having retired him. And the thought of it still has K vaguely nauseous, but he presses on quietly. ] You're here to stay. There can't be a future without you. Even when the world is collapsing, you'll live on.
[ Across a dozen other planets, eventually carried to other galaxies. By replicants, undoubtedly. And maybe one day of their own volition. ]
I exist because of you. [ Indirectly, maybe, but he's prepared to silence Tech Boy with another kiss if he tries to argue semantics. ] Like I told you, I'm incredibly lucky. [ And there's no need for the God of Technology to pretend to be humble right now. K's grateful to have been trusted with that glimpse of his pain, before, and hopes any of this might help ease it, however briefly. ]
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His thoughts linger on the memory, replaying what he recalls. The negative reactions of others toward the replicant population and K himself... it makes Tech Boy wish he could have been there for him sooner. Humans must have settled their differences amongst each other and traded racism for bigotry against synthetics. Humanity remains constantly disappointing.
But K... and his world... are marvels. The tension seems to melt from his body as he relaxes into K's touch, hooked on his words.
He does open his mouth to protest and will gladly accept a kiss instead. It's complicated, but some way he does survive. He hasn't died. Not for good. Hasn't failed. Not for long. With the chill of weakness fading, he begins to caress K's chest with the hand he'd been resting over his heart. ]
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He sighs out a breath, a quiet sound of contentment at Tech Boy's touch. And maybe he shouldn't read too much into the placement of his hand, but it's... sweet, disarmingly so. Not a word he'd normally associate with this particular god, but he does have his moments lately. ]
Are you in the mood to let me see what you were working on? [ A tentative question (carefully avoiding a request to show me) as he lowers his hands to either side of Tech Boy's neck, not willing to let him go just yet. A chance for Tech Boy to show off if he wants to. ] Or do you want to come to bed with me? [ He offers a slight smile. ] I'll bet I could read you to sleep.
[ If sleep is what he wants. Or they could stay like this. K clearly isn't in a hurry to get up. ]
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