Chapter Text
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CECIL’S POINT OF VIEW
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Tap… tap… tap…
The office stung with a sickening silence. The bottom of Cecil’s pen tapped against the wooden surface of his desk as he checked over the files of the newer heroes and their registration. The man sighed gently, lifting a file. His hardened hands ran against the soft yellow file cover, pulling it open ever so gently to reveal the data and information inside.
Cecil read it over, his icy blue eyes carefully analyzing the words. Like a marble placed onto a ramp, he was already thinking of contingency plans. Something to ensure that, when the worse came, he had a quick and easy way to deal with it. It was a caution. That was it.
He was so buried into his work that he didn’t hear the creak of his office door. Didn’t feel the shift in tension, didn’t hear the soft footsteps as someone approached his desk.
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Now your POV :)
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The door creaked open as I pushed it. Per the usual, Cecil sat at his desk, looking over papers. The light shone on him in such a way that he looked like an… either a majestic Victorian painting or a before image of a before and after advert for hair loss.
”Cecil?” I mumbled softly as I stepped inside. The room was white, it felt almost sterile. There were splashes of color, sure. There was the eagle emblem on the floor, the rich brown wood of Cecil’s desk, there were a few shelves, and there was a large screen on the wall behind Cecil. It was a familiar sight.
Cecil perked up at the sound of my voice, tilting his head up to look at me. The scars on the side of his face casted shadows in the cracks. Made for a clear contrast.
“Hm? Yeah, [NAME]?” He responded. I moved across the room towards his desk, tossing a device onto the surface. Cecil stared up at me for a moment, blinking once or twice. He looked back down at it, gingerly picking it up. He looked over the small machine, clicking the buttons and turning the dials.
“… the hell is this?”
”It’s a device recovered from the debris from the attempted takeover today. It shows statistics, yet the team can’t decipher what it’s for.”
Cecil sighed and put the device down.
”It’s in the Flaxan’s language. I’ll get Robot to decipher it,” he stated. Cecil leaned back against his office chair, running a hand through his hair- or… what was left of it.
I nodded gently, folding my hands behind my back.
Cecil looked around for a moment, before he looked up at me. He leaned against the desk in front of him, staring up at me intently with analyzing eyes. He was studying me. Of course he was. I was a sight to behold. I wasn’t of this planet, after all. I was something completely different. A Viltrumite.
I felt Cecil’s careful gaze trail across my body. From my chest, to my biceps, down to my hands, then my thighs. And then, back up to my neck. We locked eyes momentarily, and Cecil brought a hand up towards his mouth to clear his throat. He was a man of careful composition. He couldn’t act like an admirer in the open. Cecil stood from his chair, walking around his desk. He stopped as he reached my side. I felt his hand clasp my shoulder as he looked up at me from the side.
”Come with me, [NAME].” He didn’t give context. He didn’t need to. I followed like a loyal mutt. It was rather demeaning, but it didn’t matter. I nodded softly and began to walk at his side.
”After my bath, we need to visit Nolan. He’s out like a light, and I can’t take my chances with him.”
Cecil was a cautious man. Ever since the Guardians had been massacred, Cecil had to be cautious. He knew Nolan had done it. All fingers pointed to him, and he had me as an outlet of information. Hell, when Nolan had first landed onto Earth, I had told Cecil about the empire you had come from and their mission across the galaxy. Only reason he had let Nolan stay was because he was… curious. And his curiosity costed the lives of seven good heroes and the best team on Earth.
Our steps echoed throughout the halls of the base as the two of us wandered. The room was a secret, the room that held his chemical bath. He had to take that, it was a daily thing. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t he fully regenerated for the entire day. Most importantly, his skin would rot and melt off. It wasn’t a pretty sight, first time it had happened.
Soon, the two of us had gotten to this metal hexagonal door. Cecil leaned in and input a code. I sat to the side, looking around carefully. I was the “loyal guard dog”, after all.
”Do I need to get Donald to help out with the chemicals?” I implored. Cecil looked back to me as the doors opened and shook his head.
”Nah. Donald’s observing the surveillance room while we do this.”
Cecil stepped into the room, and I followed. The lights were dimmed
, and the main light source was the pool of chemicals atop a platform at the end of the room. The chemical mixture inside of the pool emitted a purple-pinkish glow. The white walls were encapsulated in the hue.
Cecil stepped forward and began undressing. I glanced away, holding my hands out for his clothes; to collect them and fold them. It was his privacy, after all. Staring dead at him while he took his clothes off was an invasion.
“… [Name].”
His voice cut me out of my thoughts. I slowly turned my head to look at him. He held his tie in his hand, bunched up. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top already. He had this look on his face, as if he had been trying to keep a neutral face. A struggle between carefully crafted facade and real emotion.
In the end, Cecil laughed.
“You’ve known me for thirty years, and you’re getting all nervous over seeing me naked?” He asked. I cleared my throat, coughing into my fist.
Cecil sighed gently and continued to undress. Slowly, agonizing. Button after button was pulled off in such a tedious manner, it was painful to just sit there and watch.
“… do you need help, sir-“ I spoke out. I was silenced by a hand behind placed out, like a harsh sign. Cecil continued to unbutton. When he had finally finished, he pulled his coat jacket off and tossed it to me. That was followed by his tie and his dress shirt. I turned my head fully away once he had become top-naked. The man really wasn’t as old as he appeared. Despite looking to be in his mid sixties, to a lot of surprises, he was in his late fifties. And he had the body to show! (Licking my screen as I imagine it). The poor bastard just couldn’t sleep. The lack of it took a lot outta him.
I folded up his clothes, placing them onto the table that stood against the wall. I turned fully away as Cecil continued to undress. I could hear him rustling behind me. Very clearly. I could hear the belt clink against its buckle, before clattering to the floor. I heard the rustling of his dress pants, heard him fully undress and leave his clothes and shoes piled on the floor.
I held a hand to my mouth, rubbing the side of my index finger against my mustache. Despite my heartstrings pulling and the nagging feeling telling me not to, I couldn’t help it. With a slow tilt of my head, I glanced behind me to look at Cecil in his full glory. And hot damn, wasn’t it a sight? How the man was shaped, like a carving out of wood. Careful and precise, with sharp corners and care out into every groove. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I swiftly turned my head away.
I could hear liquid moving, I could hear small splashes. And then…
”Alright, [NAME]. You’re good to look now.”
I whipped my head almost in an instant. Cecil had plunged himself into his chemical pool, with only the top half of his head sticking out. His silver hair floated atop the surface, the pink liquid rippling around him with each subtle movement.
I carefully stepped forward, standing in front of the pool. I stared down at Cecil as he just… marinated in the goo. I watched as he lifted a hand, bringing up a holographic display. It was a display of Chicago, with the Flaxan invasion that had occurred earlier. The loss of so many lives had Cecil thinking about a weakness. A plan. He watched as small models of the heroes and aliens fight. The small models of civilians getting shot and mutilated. And the unfamiliar model of a newer superhero, fumbling with the dying corpse of an elderly woman.
”Is that supposed to be Nolan’s son? Mark, right?” I asked. Cecil jolted up at the sudden intrusion of silence, glancing up at me before nodding gently.
”Yes. That was the kid’s first mission.”
”Rough start.”
”It is.”
Silence enraptured the room once more, as we watched the recreated footage. Cecil would wave his hand, and the hologram would rewind to a point. So on and so forth. After a few moments, Cecil stopped.
”… their time span.”
I blinked a few times, leaning back. I cleared my throat gently.
”… what?”
”Time moves faster for them. That’s why their materials oxidized so quickly. They were living a full lifespan right in front of our damn eyes.”
I paused, thinking for a moment. It really did make sense. I nodded softly, relaxing my stance. I took a step forward, walking around the pool to settle behind Cecil. I leaned over the rim, resting my hands against his shoulders.
”I’m sure Robot has already realized this, sir,” I muttered softly. My hands began to run at Cecil’s skin, pressing against his muscles in such a way that it caused him to arch slightly.
”Fuck-“ he cursed, tilting his head back. He grumbled, leaning backwards against my grasp, and tilting his head to the side. I chuckled softly at his reluctance.
”… five more minutes,” he mumbled. A gentle reminder for the time. He only needed to bathe in this for half an hour. That was it.
I sighed gently, giving him a nod. “Of course, sir.”
Just five more minutes like this.