Headquarters
Seattle, WA
June 2015
10:32 AM
Mack readjusts his sweater for the hundredth time that morning.
The place is nicer than he had expected. He had passed by the building numerous times on his way to his previous work; it had caught his attention, but never to the point of him being curious enough to peek inside and inquire at the front desk.
If he had to be honest, then Mack wasn’t even sure why he was giving the new place a go to begin with. The last job was stable, he was practicing what he studied, and the people he had worked with were as friendly as they could be. It paid well, too. Why exactly he had decided to switch jobs out of the blue was something rash and impulsive; Mack didn’t know if he would even last in a place like this new one.
Maybe it was because he found the man cute. Maybe that was it.
Just weeks ago he was talking to a man who introduced himself as “Tad”; they were talking about what Mack did, what Mack could do, and about what Mack wanted. When he had admitted to the stranger that he was already getting bored with his current job, a certain kind of smile climbed onto the other’s face. The expression had made him fiddle with his shirt.
Cut to the present, and Mack is still adjusting his damn sweater.
Tad was supposed to bring over the other members of his squad. Apparently Mack would be working closely with them; he wasn’t expected to train as much as they do, but some handiwork with a firearm or some kind of defense-related skill would be nice. Mack hides the fact that he had never been the most athletic kid at school, nor did he have any kind of firearm-related training back in the day.
He thinks back to these people. Tad had explained earlier during the car ride that they were nice people; both of them as young as Mack was (or a few years younger at the last) and that while they had been working there for a bit longer, they were still in the process of learning and figuring things out. Something of the sort.
Mack stops fiddling with the loose thread on his sweater and picks up the cup of coffee on the table across. It’s gone a little cold, but he doesn’t really mind. He drinks a fourth of the amount before setting it back down and letting his eyes glance around the room.
It’s comfy. He’s seated on a couch and there’s another across; the walls are painted a warm taupe, there are a few potted plants inside, and there’s a whiteboard nearby. It seems like a small conference room; enough to contain at least ten people or less. He can hear the chatter from outside the room; the whole place is busy, alert, varying levels of active. There had been someone who was rushing down the hall with folders in their hands; another who was on the phone and looked angry, and yet another who hung by the coffee machine and waited for his drink to complete. Mack spotted the elevator, too; one that led to higher floors where other matters were handled and where the higher-ups could be found.
It wasn’t much like the previous job.
Mack folds his arms tighter over his chest.
A couple of minutes pass before there’s two quick knocks on the door. He watches as Tad enters, apologizes. “I’m sorry for making you wait. We had to settle something upstairs before coming here.” Mack merely nods and Tad ushers the two newcomers inside; Mack is a little surprised to see two people enter the room as well, both of which definitely younger than Tad by almost a decade, it had to be.
The female gives a short wave. The younger male approaches Mack and offers his hand for a handshake. Mack shakes. “Samuel Peters, hi. You’re Mack?”
“Mack Thomas.” Samuel’s grip is strong, firm; very self-assured. He has dirty blonde hair; a simple comb-over that’s kept in place with spray or pomade. Samuel gives him an easy smile before waving the other person over; the female manages a small smile before approaching.
“This is Aether Maxwell. She moved here a few years ago to study and started working here immediately after. I moved around last year or so.” Mack nods and Aether offers her hand as well; it’s a firm shake, but her grip isn’t as strong as Samuel’s. If anything, it’s a little hesitant. “So you’re going to be working with us, then?”
“I guess so, based on what Tad told me.” Tad shoots an affirmative smile, watching them interact. Samuel and Aether sit on the couch across, and Mack studies the female. It’s obvious that she’s looking him over as well, but her expression is harder to read. Aether’s hair is tied up in a single ponytail and neat bangs cover up her large, green eyes just a bit. She’s a little stiff, movements and general demeanour striking him as ‘unsure’.
Between her and Samuel, Mack would have assumed that Peters had been working there for much longer, given his ease.
They chat for a couple of minutes, Tad eventually joining and taking his place at Mack’s side. Samuel and Tad do most of the talking; he and Aether are quiet for the most part, the latter offering input whenever needed. Mack worries for a moment that he wouldn’t get along with the smaller female, but she offers him a shy smile when Samuel and Tad dominate the discussion. Shy type. Mack offers a smile back.
“—early lunch, maybe?”
“I think Mack would like that,” Aether says suddenly. The rest of them are standing all of a sudden and Mack is startled for a moment; Tad clasps his shoulder lightly. “We’re taking off early for brunch. You should join us.”
“Brunch? But work–”
“We’re supposed to be touring you around today.” Samuel gives a carefree shrug, “Can’t do that without a good meal.”
“But–”
“We get it if you’d rather get to work,” Aether interrupts. She gives Samuel a look before turning back towards Mack, “but we’d really like it if you joined us. Since, you know...we’ll be working together from now on.” Aether turns to Tad for support, and the taller man only gives Mack a warm, inviting smile. He’s known Tad a bit longer than he has Samuel and Aether, but he still feels a little wary, a little guarded—
Fuck it.
“On one condition.”
Aether perks up, Samuel raises his brows, and Tad blinks. Mack clears his throat.
“No work-related talk while eating. Please. I'll be working here as it is–and to be honest, I sort of know what I'll be doing anyway, so I'd rather get to know you guys. If—if that's okay”
When he sees Aether exchanges excited looks with the other two as well as Samuel’s amused grin, Mack has a feeling that he’d fit in just fine.
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