Work Text:
One thing that society has always valued was strength, whether it be intellectual or physical. Without any type of strength to your name, you would always be forced to bow down before those who had strength. However, being strong does not come with the guarantee of power, especially in this new world. For power spread amongst the people shall only lead to disaster, as was the way before Kalmin saved the world. He loves us despite our collective human faults, because he was once one of us, and can sympathise with our fragility and teach us how better ourselves despite our flaws. We owe him our lives and, as such, we shall kneel in reverence before our liege. To be personally selected by him is the highest honor, and we are privileged to live with him amongst us.
For as long as Addai can remember, this passage has been burned into the memories of the islanders. It was to taught to him at every school he has ever attended, written into holy scriptures, plastered onto posters, and recited over air. However, he had yet to see it engraved into a 25 meter tall block of marbled copper and gold. It was impossible to miss, as it stood in stark contrast from the silver surroundings, with the monochrome colour only being diluted by the electric blue energy waves that surged through the metal at random. With its imposing size, the inscription sent a very clear message, ‘there is no tolerance for weakness in the city of God.’
Addai had never been this close to the oldest part of the city, he had never strayed far from his family's apartment in the mechanic’s sector. Not that he’d ever had a reason to come here before, baring his own curiosity. It was surprisingly silent, as if the passage had magically cast a spell on the multitudes of people passing through the area, or if they had simply been put on mute. As if to contradict his thoughts, a melodic chime played, signalling to everyone in the area that it was time to head to school or work. He stayed still as the masses moved past him, some running, others walking, and even one notable person who rode a unicycle past him. Once he was alone, he rested his hand on the side of the monument and looked at the reflection of his deep brown eyes as they stared back at him.
‘What am I doing?’ Addai asked himself. He withdrew his hand and watched the surface automatically clean itself. ‘I can’t think to much about possibly meeting Kalmin, otherwise I’ll just drive myself insane.” He thought with a sigh. He cracked his neck before picking up his bag that rested against his leg. He didn't have to be anywhere until nighttime, but there was also no use waiting here and making himself look like a suspicious heathen. So he left the goliath monument behind him and tried not to look back.
The gleaming surfaces of the city catch and reflect light at many different angles, refracting into different colours to create amazing works of art in the sky, even as dusk settled over the city. It was one of the first technologies that Kalmin had engineered, some people say he made it back when he was still mortal. Currently, the technical institute uses the largest reflective building to host the final practical exams for all technology based fields of expertise. Many high ranking executives are known to attend this final trial to snap up potential recruits. Addai had even heard that Kalmin himself watched the exams, and had taken on pupils before.
His last pupil committed suicide only 6 months into their internship. Kalmin has not been seen at the exams since. Even if he was at the exams, he would not look twice at Addai. He was going back into mechanics, the lowest rank technical trade, despite his family’s pleas to do something like programming at the very least. He’d always found working in a virtual space difficult and constraining, even if it was considered a more intelligent field.
A few other students saw his mechanics clothing, and snickered to themselves. Addai had no doubt that they considered themselves superior to him. He could care less about them, after all, he’d probably never see them again.
The briefing on the exam proceeded smoothly. They were to be put into groups to do general maintenance and upgrade the appliance that they were given. He stared at his shoes as they begun to allocate people into their groups. He needed to focus on what he was about to do, not on what other people were doing. Eventually he was paired with a small scarecrow looking boy, who was to act as his programmer. Addai thought that he looked like he couldn’t program his way out a paper bag. Judging by the deep bags under his eyes and the constant tremble in his hands, he hadn’t slept in a long time.
The task began and went wrong almost immediately. As predicted his partner was barely awake, and had managed to electrocute himself only fifteen minutes into the exam. When he saw the spindly boy collapse, Addai thought that his heart almost stopped. The medics came promptly, but the instructor had bad news.
“We can not resist your test or get you a new partner. I can’t even give you special consideration per Kalmin’s orders. You will have to complete the programming section as well as the mechanics section. Good luck kido.” The instructor ruffled Addai’s hair before leaving, shifting dark curly hair into his eyes.
Just great. He was so fucked. Taking a deep breath to attempt to calm himself down, Addai tried to focus on finishing up the section he had already started. If he took everything one step at a time and tried not to freak out until after the exam he might be fine. He had always worked best when there was a clear goal in mind, and there was nothing clearer than finishing the project and passing the exam.
The actual mechanical maintenance required on the small machine was quite simple, there were just a few wired crossed over and a couple missing bolts. This meant, that luckily, Addai finished this section with relative ease.
The programming was another story. He attempted to use his basic knowledge of coding to patch up the problems he could identify easily. The first couple worked out, but the later coding was missing entire linking sections of code. There was nothing he could do to mend this section of the program. So he needed to find another solution. Addai looked at the machinery in front of him. It was an older model of a projection drone. The programming that was badly damaged was to do with the flying capability so if he could just re-make the routers…
Addai heard a gasp going around the room, and he looked up to see Kalmin walking through the room. His bronze skin glowed in the electric light of the factory, contrasting from his silver hair. And then he turned to look at Addai. Gold eyes locked onto brown.
And something in Addai broke. And so did the world around him, shattering like a mirror, before the broken images his past faded back into memories. His mind struggled to fill the gaps in the timeline, but still managed to make the important connections.
Screaming, his house burning down, his sister crying out from in the flames. Aroma of burnt flesh. His parents, crying and begging on their knees, hands shackled behind their backs. Blood dripping down their faces and staining the floor beneath them. Electricity coursing through his own veins, as his head is forced upwards off of the luxury satin pillow to look into unreadable gold eyes, as weight settles on top of his body.
Addai vaguely recognises the ragged breathing in the room as his own, but he more so recognises the chest that he’s currently leaning against. It’s the only stable thing he can focus on, as his stomach turns itself inside out while his vision spirals despite a lack of movement. Familiar hands roam over his body, his lead-like limbs refusing to move the hands off of him. He hates being so vulnerable, so utterly helpless.
The chest underneath his rumbles with laughter, and he feels fingers intertwine with his hair, once again forcing him to look at those golden eyes. The movement causes him to moan quietly. Faintly he thinks of how nice it is to see him smile genuinely again, and he would almost say it’s loving. He also wishes that he could kick himself for still somehow thinking kindly of this monster masquerading as a man.
“Do you remember that day as fondly as I do, Addai? You were truly brilliant in remaking the coding mechanically, and so quickly too. You were the first person to catch my interest in so long,” Kalmin leans in close to his ear, and Addai can’t help but shiver slightly as he whispers into his ear, “You became so much more to me than just a human commodity, Addai. I love you, no matter how much more… complicated it has become since those anarchists got into your head.” He finishes his speech by kissing him on his head, setting off sparks that he shouldn’t still feel but he does and he loathes that he still craves it.
He tries to speak, to ask about his surviving friends in the rebels, or to ask for more affection, he doesn’t know. Perhaps mercifully, his voice fails, only coming out as a pathetic whine, and for once all of him hates it. Kalmin gives him a look somewhere between predatory and pity. He pulls his smaller frame closer, jostling his aching numb body, and aggravating the sore spot on his neck. Injection site of the flashback drug, his brain helpfully supplies. Kalmin props his head up onto his broad shoulder, and kisses Addai deeply. He lets Kalmin roam his mouth, and remembers when he used to not feel guilty about enjoying making-out with the immortal.
Kalmin pulls away from him, and wipes away the tear travelling down his face. “It’s okay Addai, nothing can hurt you here, not with me around.” And it’s true, he’s practically invincible him while Kalmin has him. Except for the fact that Kalmin killed his family and his friends when he found out Addai was feeding the rebels information, to try and take down his totalitarian government. Kalmin refuses to let him go, and Addai doesn’t know how much longer he can keep telling himself that he wants to go.
“Are you finally ready to go back to how we used to be?” He sounds so hopeful, Addai notes in the back of his mind.
“No more drugs.” He looks up into those dreadfully beautiful gold eyes. “Please.” He knows that he’s practically begging, but he can’t bring himself to care. And for a terrifying moment, he thinks Kalmin is about to reach for another needle. Instead, he passes him some water. He drinks it with Kalmin’s help slowly. The room has stabilised slightly.
“You know I never liked doing that Dai, but it was necessary to fight the brainwashing those heathens did to you. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.” His eyes are full of compassion, and he can see the dedication and fire burning behind them. He’s seen those eyes go so cold and hard. He never wants to again. Maybe he can reform the mad scientist on his own. Or just let the public live in ignorant bliss. The logistics make his drug addled brain hurt. So he nods slowly and relaxes into the curve of Kalmin’s neck, trying to ignore his heart tearing itself apart.
“Please don’t leave me.” And he finally lets himself breakdown.