Chase Underwood (![]() ![]() @ 2018-03-05 16:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | chase, vic |
a propostion
Who: Chase and Vic
Setting: Vic's tent, Central Park, Fireworks night
Chase had lost Mazie to her tablet again, which was fine. He’d headed into the crowd to find them something else to drink, smiling at people as he passed them, even mindful of someone who might recognize him. They rarely spoke to him, but he knew what that wide-eyed look meant. It meant they were trying to figure out if he was real. In some cases, they were right to think it, those that only paid for the low level features of his website, which was merely an avatar of himself. Sure, it was based off him and video content he’d made, but still, it was a simulation.
He ducked away from a pair of wide eyes, edging into a tent and not meaning to brush up against the man there. The contact, not something he was totally useful, had him pulling back immediately. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, flashing a smile and hoping all was forgiven.
That tent was one of the old ones Vic had shared with his brother. Technically, it was their first tent and still today was the door to their large, tent landscape in the park. Over time, their one tent had merged into another, which merged into a third, and after a while they had this mismatch of colorful, worn tents that ended up nearly the size of a studio apartment.
It wasn’t unusual for people to shake or brush passed his tent and ultimately sort of up against him, so he wasn’t really expecting the apology. When he heard the voice, though, he peeked his head out of the tent’s opening and around to see the blonde man there. “Oh, hey, yeah, no harm done. All’s good. You’re definitely not from here.”
Chase blinked at the face, shocked that he looked a little bit like Chase himself. “Oddly enough, yeah, yeah I am,” he said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “But still, sorry. Sort of crowded out tonight.”
“Really?” Vic asked, making a little face at that. This guy so did not look like he was a Parker. Intrigued, Vic stepped out of the tent and stood up to his full height. Weird also that he kind of looked like Vic did. He’d only had two of those ciders so far, he definitely couldn’t be seeing things. “Yeah, always crowded on Fireworks night. Come inside, we can chill. What’s your name?”
“It’s been a bit,” Chase said with a roll of his shoulders. “But the northern end of the park.” He’d left though, no, he’d been thrown out years ago, for the exact reason he was still having this conversation. This guy was cute, which was a little selfish given that he looked like Chase, but still. He tilted his head just slightly, considering the invite, and clicking off a message to Mazie through his neural comms. He was better at making that seem subtle than most, used to using the extra interface with his cameras while he was working and having it all look seamless. Just letting her know. Because, yeah, he was curious. And Mazie would probably be relieved to get him out of her fake pink hair while she worked for a little while. Ping me if I’m gone too long, he added to the note, just to make sure someone was keeping an eye on the time.
Then he smiled and nodded. “Sure. Cool.” He held out a hand. “Chase Underwood.” His stage name, but it wasn’t like he ever went by his birth name. He hadn’t in ages.
Like I don’t have a tracker in your body right now, Mazie shot back.
Vic watched what he was sure others would think was just a moment too-long of a blink or a thought, but he knew. He sold parts for those commlinks. He knew when someone was using them. And he wasn’t bothered by it. It was only smart that Chase had someone he was contacting, even if he was a native here.
That was the part that he found curious. That Chase had lived here and yet felt so foreign to this place. He was in the middle of pouring them both drinks from whatever small stash he and his brother had left when he heard Chase’s name and a laugh caught in his throat. “You must get a lot of attention with that name,” He said, handing Chase a cup of some dark liquid as he turned to look at him with a grin. “I’m Vic. Casker.”
That’s creepy and weird, Chase told her, because it was. Though, he knew Mazie. It was probably true. He needed to do a scan for nanites. Though she had installed his upgrade, so it was likely embedded in the code there.
“That’s the point,” Chase said with a roll of his shoulders, taking the cup from Vic. The attention drove up his numbers. Though the baby face he had did wonders for that too. “Vic. Nice to meet you.”
You’re welcome.
Smiling, Vic settled awkwardly into an old bean bag chair, something he’d stolen from some antiques store way back when he was younger. It was covered in stitches and tape but he didn’t care. It was still the most comfortable thing he owned. His leg was giving him a little trouble tonight but he was determined not to show it if he could.
“So, is it just us talking now or is your friend still around?” He asked before taking a sip of his drink.
Chase didn’t sit. He mostly just took some time to look around the tent. It reminded him of home, or whatever he should call it. Where he’d lived with his parents before they’d turned him out into the world on his own. It was cozy in its own way. “She’s always lurking,” he said, flashing a grin over his shoulder. “But it’s just us.” Interesting that he’d caught that. Not everyone did. Chase took a sip of his drink as well.
It was sort of uncanny how similar they looked. Sort of made Vic wonder if they had a half-brother wandering around the streets and had never known it. He wouldn’t put anything past his mother, but then again she’d hightailed it pretty quickly after he’d been born and figured he would have known about a distant relative.
“Guessing you don’t come back to the park too often?” He asked, eyes still studying Chase. “Making a good living elsewhere, I guess?”
“No,” Chase said. “Just for this. Or something equally as big.” He kind of hated it here, actually. Too many bad memories. He eventually did sit, on the edge of the bed, watching Vic as closely as Vic was watching him. “Eventually. Took some time.” And that Vic asked meant he didn’t know. Not surprising, but at the same time, interesting. “Though I could work anywhere. Well, not out here, but the ‘where’ isn’t really important.”
What was different about out here? Vic thought it over and landed on the distinct lack of electrical advances the park had. Probably had something to do with that. He wanted to ask what Chase did, but that wasn’t really his game. It was never anyone’s business how someone else made money. Period. But he was just so damn curious about this guy who looked like he never would have belonged in the park to begin with. “If this is a riddle, I need another clue.”
Chase laughed, taking another sip of his drink. “You didn’t look me up yet?” he asked. “Thought the name would have been a giveaway.” All it was was just confirmation of the fact that Vic didn’t know. Chase had no idea why that was so curious. It wasn’t like the man gave off the vibe that what Chase peddled would be his thing. He smiled, mostly down at his cup. “I fulfill fantasies.”
“It’s rude to look up info about you when we’re talking. What’s the point of us even talking then?” Vic asked, that smile returning. The name was interesting, but it wasn’t until Chase explained that it all clicked in his head and that spark of understanding settled in his eyes. “So, probably a really decent living then?” He’d heard that it was one of the most lucrative fields, if you could build that customer base. Wasn’t something he’d ever fully considered, but the way he looked at Chase hadn’t changed now that he knew. He even managed to keep his eyes up where Chase’s were, something he was pretty proud of himself for.
“And yet people do it all the time,” Chase said with another shrug. He smiled back though, unable to help himself. He pushed his fingers through his hair, naturally white blonde, and nodded. “I do well.” Really well, actually, but he didn’t like to brag. He had what he needed in life. “Plus it’s fun.”
Vic leaned closer to him on the bean bag chair, elbows on his knees. Now he was intrigued. Money was essentially Vic’s entire driving force and here was someone who looked uncannily like him, saying he did well but meaning he did really well, because of this profession. “How’d you get into this whole thing?”
Chase considered the question, how much of his history was worth sharing. “The long way,” he said after a moment. “I was already trading the service. Now I do it online.” He shrugged. “I had a friend that helped me get set up with my first website, then built on it from there. The one I was talking to? She did most of my upgrades to the site. Now it’s fully interactive with extra features based on how much you’re willing to pay.”
Yeah, definitely not a business you could run out of the park. Vic was clearly fascinated by Chase’s story. He wanted to see the website, but he’d just explained how rude he thought it was to look up someone’s information when they were right in front of him. Maybe he was old fashioned that way, but it was typically how he built relationships with his customers. In person first, then digital after. “How long have you been in the game?”
Chase laughed, lightly. “Which part? I’ve been trading in fantasies since I was sixteen, but the website? A few years. Honestly, I could leave it as is at this point, but part of why I do so well is that it has the real component. I still stream videos, still do one on one chats.” And while he didn’t do it as much? He still took actual clients, but it wasn’t a cheap thing. And they were all vetted by Mazie first.
He made so much money that he could just...stop working. Holy hell. Sitting back, Vic shook his head and finished off his drink. “Damn,” He said with a laugh. “That’s some serious hustle.” His business did well, but there was no way he could effectively retire right now if he wanted to. “Congrats on the good fortune.”
Chase shrugged. “I think a lot of it is lore, but honestly, fantasies, they’re...specific?” he said. “People want what they want. And an avatar can only do so much. Plus, if I give it up, I’ll get fat.” He smiled at Vic, something kind of teasing. “What about you? What funds this lap of luxury?” he said, waving around him. It was a nice tent, and he meant it, truly.
Vic knew his tents were nice. He’d purposefully made them that way. He worked hard every day, both him and Vaughn, to have nice things here in the park so he was happy when Chase mentioned it and he could tell it was genuine. “I deal,” He answered. “Apparently not as lucrative or as fun as your job, but it pays.”
Chase laughed and shook his head. “It just depends on how you feel about what I do. I mean, it is fun. It can be really fun. Though you’d be surprised who has issues with it. Who still clings to morals that have no place in this world.”
Shrugging, Vic put his empty cup down beside him and leaned forward again. “I’ve never really thought about what you do as an option. It was always dealing for me.” He didn’t specify whether he meant drugs or parts or both. “What, you mean your clients still have trouble with it?”
Chase nodded. “I lost the connection to what I do from what other people do a long time ago.” There wasn’t any emotion to it. There hadn’t been since the first. It was safer that way. Chase caught the way that Vic didn’t specify what he dealt, but he didn’t push it. There was no need to. “People always hate what they are more than anything else, but not them as much. Others. There’s a reason I don’t live in the park anymore.”
Interesting, again. Someone in the park didn’t like Chase. Maybe his family, which seemed like a ridiculous thing for a family to get upset over to Vic but what did he know? His only family was his brother and he knew Vaughn would never look at him differently. Period. “Good riddance, then,” He said, borrowing the old phrase from some book or something in the past. “You don’t need that kind of bullshit in your life.”
Chase smiled, huffing a tiny laugh again and propped his chin in his hand, elbow on his knee. “I like that attitude. So you never thought about it? With a face like that? I’m sure you got offers.” Especially if he was dealing in less than ideal things.
Tilting his head a little, Vic grinned again. “Sometimes people think they can buy me with that instead of credits, but credits keep you fed. I never thought it was a viable income source. Not for me, anyway. Why, you think differently?”
“I’m sure with the right situation you can find a way to make it work,” Chase said. “It’s all about owning it. You’re the one that controls it. Plus,” he held up his hands to frame Vic’s face. “You’ve got a face for video. The camera would love you.”
Vic snickered again. “Well, unless you’re inviting me over, that’s the closest I’m getting to a camera,” He said, pointing at Chase’s fingers. “I don’t have the equipment here for that kind of thing. Plus. you know, the set up isn’t park friendly.” Not that he couldn’t get the equipment but Vic would have no idea where to even start once he had it. This was not his wheelhouse.
Chase laughed. “Would you even come if I did?” he said, arching a brow. Because...well...that would sell. Well enough to give Vic a cut and not lose anything for it. It had been a while since Chase had recorded himself with someone else.
He sat back again, actually considering it. “Would it matter if I’ve never done something like this before?” And Vic meant more than just the cameras. He meant a situation like this, with another man. “Would that even sell?”
“You’ve had sex before, right?” Chase offered, head canting a little to the side, curious about that. Maybe he hadn’t. That would be curious, but definitely something that Chase could work for. That he’d charge extra for.
That had Vic grinning again. “I’m either charming or lucky enough that yes, I’ve had sex before,” He answered. “But not with a guy, so that’s new. And obviously not on camera...that I know about,” He added, a light laugh in his tone. “So...would that sell?”
Chase grinned, just a touch, mostly echoing Vic’s. “Not with a guy? And yet you’re considering it?” He hadn’t met many that hadn’t bothered to explore all their sexual options. The world they lived in made it easy to access anything and everything. “It would. First times sell really well.”
Vic shrugged a little. “Just sort of what happened,” He answered, running a list of his past exploits. “Most of them I met in person, at clubs or bars. I spend some time online, but mostly I’m either working or drinking. I like people,” He said. But mostly he was focused now on Chase’s grin. It was pretty in a way he hadn’t expected it to be. “So yeah, I’m considering it. Sounds a little like you might be trying to talk me out of this now, though.”
Chase shook his head. “Hardly. Just curious.” And if they did it, he didn’t want Vic freaking out halfway through. It’d bring in more as a live feed, possibly even toying with viewers to give them the idea that they have a say in what’s done to Vic. Really, it could set them both up for quite some time. Not that Chase had a plan to stop doing what he did, but it was nice to have a night or two off when he needed it. He gave Vic a proper once over and nodded. “I really like the idea.”
He could see the credits rolling in now. It was glorious. Vic nodded, happy that this chance encounter was becoming something more. Something lucrative. “Just as long as I’m not supposed to be an expert, I’m in.” What was the worst that could happen? This felt like something he could easily take control of and get out if he wanted to, but it was getting harder and harder to keep his customers as loyal to him as he was to them. Having this extra income would provide a cushion he hadn’t ever thought he’d have before.
Chase chuckled. “No, love, what we’re selling is your lack of experience.” He shifted, eyes glazing over a bit as he focused on his HUD, pulling up his contact info and starting the transfer over to Vic. “Any preferences on being a top or a bottom?” he asked, though he sounded a little far away, already looking into the details of it. “And you’re good with a seventy-thirty split?”
Vic watched him and couldn’t help but smile again. “I guess that depends on what would bring in more credits,” He answered, feeling like it worked for both questions, though the split was something he wasn’t set on just yet. He’d learned early on never to take the first offer. “...How about this. Why don’t we do a trial. First...session or whatever we call it, we do without a deal. See what we bring in and talk about splitting after, based on how much work you do versus how much I do. And then we can settle something longer term.”
Chase arched a brow at that, then shrugged. “Can work with that. Trust me, the first time will bring in the most.” He knew his patrons. They liked something new. He refocused back on Vic though, frown tilting just a little. “The credits don’t matter for what your preferences are. You’re going to make more when it’s what you really want, what you can either enjoy or pretend to enjoy the most. And trust me, pretending is a lot easier if you do really enjoy it.”
“Not sure I know my preferences when it comes to this. Generally I just sort of let the night take me where it does. Sometimes I lead, sometimes I follow. What do you do? I can probably do the opposite more easily than you having to change a whole persona or something.” This was the part of this business that Vic didn’t really understand. He got the preferences thing, he knew that in general people had them, but when it came to that in exchange for money he felt a little lost.
Chase huffed a small laugh and nodded. “I play whatever role someone wants. You’ll see when you look up the site. But with this face? I know what they want.” He looked at Vic again, then nodded. “Maybe we’ll see where things go then. See what it is you want in the heat of the moment.” Chase could work with that too.
Vic studied his face again and understood. It would make sense that Chase would probably bottom in situations when he had others with him. He wanted to be confident enough to say that he could for sure play a specific role, but he didn’t want to commit to something he might bomb that would in turn bomb his credits. “Let’s do that,” He said, nodding. “See what happens during.” It put less pressure on him and that was how Vic preferred to engage anyway; to let the night take him.
That earned Vic a smile, and nodded. “Well, I’ve sent you all the information.” And sent Vic’s name over to Mazie in the same breath. “Let me know when you want to come by. You can see the studio, get a feel for the space before we go all out.”
Vic made a point of ignoring notifications when he was face to face with someone so he didn’t let his HUD come up and glaze over his own eyes until Chase mentioned he’d sent it. The location was nice, definitely not in the park, and Vic was suddenly very interested in knowing what kind of dwelling this once-Parker lived in. “I can make time tomorrow if you want?” Mostly, he also didn’t want this opportunity to get stale. The draw of those credits was just too much.
“Works fine for me,” Chase said, getting up, righting his jacket as he did so. “Just let me know you’re on your way and I’ll make sure it’s cleaned up.” Of course, it was always tidy, but there was a different level of standard when it came to visitors.
“You got it,” Vic said with a nod. He pulled himself up out of the bean bag chair when Chase stood, trying not to wince at the strain it put on his leg. “Looking forward to it.” And maybe it was more than just the credits now.
Chase caught the wince, or the look of someone trying not to show pain. How often had he seen that? He looked at Vic closely, then let his eyes drop down towards the leg he was favoring. “Cybernetics or something else?”
Fuck. He didn’t want his leg to screw this opportunity up. “It’s nothing, really.” He answered immediately, forcing his leg to take more weight than it had before. “Broke it when I was younger and I’m sure you know how easy it is to get medical attention out here in the park so...yeah. It won’t ruin anything, though.” He’d make damn sure it wouldn’t.
Chase nodded. He knew that. He smiled though, shaking his head. “If you’re on your feet too much, I’m doing something wrong,” he teased lightly, biting his lip with it. He brushed his fingers across Vic’s chest, really to see how he’d react more than anything else. “Won’t ruin a thing.”
Maybe he’d not done something with a guy before because he’d not met Chase yet. Because right then, in that moment, with Chase biting his lip and his fingertips on Vic’s chest, it was very hard not to think about tumbling into whatever giant, soft bed he was sure Chase had now. It showed in his eyes, in the way the jovial, friendly nature they had darkened and honed in on the outline of Chase’s arms. “I guess I’ll have to hold you to that, then,” He said, ticking his eyes up with another grin but it was different this time. Deeper, like his eyes were.
Yeah, that was going to be amazing on camera. ‘I’ll see you soon then,” he promised, voice low, like it was for his work. “I’m looking forward to it.” He touched Vic once more, just that light graze of fingers then saw himself out.