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Raymond never liked being seen.
That’s not to say he didn’t enjoy being looked at. He liked when people took a second too long to glance at his arms, or how his tank top clung just a bit too tight around his chest. Those were easy looks. Harmless, curious gazes that said, “Wow, that guy’s hot!” Raymond could live with that. He could thrive on that even.
But being seen? That was something different, something dangerous.
The kind of look that lingered, like someone was trying to decode him. Those eyes weren’t trying to observe him, they wanted to understand him , to look past his skin and into whatever mess lived under there. Raymond prided himself on being sharp. Not book smart, he still struggled with long division sometimes, but instinct smart. A level of awareness that had helped him more times than he could count, or wanted to honestly. He always knew when someone wasn’t just looking. He knew when they were studying him.
The ones he hated more were the soft glances. The ones filled with pity or understanding. The kind of concern that came without words, just a gentle touch on the shoulder or a too kind expression, like someone trying to tell him, “It’s okay. You don’t have to hurt alone.”
Those made his skin crawl.
The worst of them? The ones that made him livid? The looks that said he wasn’t dangerous, just... guarded. Like all he needed was support or “therapy” . Those made him feel like a cornered dog, all teeth and rage with a scared animal underneath . He wanted to bite, to run. He wanted to punch a hole clean through the wall just to prove he shouldn’t be fucked with.
And no one gave him that look more than that prick Elias Bouchard.
Raymond had forgotten why he accepted the job at this point. Security guard for the Magnus Institute. It sounded easy enough. He figured it’d be a hands-off gig, sit around, look intimidating, make sure people weren’t fucking around where they shouldn’t or doing something they shouldn’t. That, or he just really needed rent money. Either way, he didn’t predict being sat outside of the Archives, of all places.
It started fine. He kept to himself. Monitored guest badges. Intervened if some curious academic tried to sneak somewhere off-limits. Occasionally got called to help elsewhere when things got messy. The staff were... okay. A little weird, but mostly decent. Sasha was sweet, she always said goodmorning, Tim was surprisingly entertaining , and Martin... Well, Martin always asked if he needed anything. Jon was an anomaly. Something about the guy made Raymond irritable, but he never said anything about it.
But Elias?
Elias was the exception. The singular, infuriating variable that made Raymond want to hurl a desk through the nearest window.
Elias wasn’t just annoying, he was far too aware. Too composed. Raymond had only met him once to his own will, during the interview. He remembered almost nothing from that conversation, except the rising urge to grab the guy by the collar and demand he stop staring. That look Elias gave him, half amused, half dissecting. It stuck in his head like a bad pop song.
He wasn’t bad looking. God no. If circumstances were different, if Raymond weren’t employed and also actively fantasizing about decking the guy, he might’ve even admit he found him attractive. But there was something about that face. That voice. That smile. It oozed with condescension, like he knew ten things about you you’d never know about yourself.
And the eyes? That’s what got to Raymond most. They didn’t just look at him, they searched. Like Elias was flipping through his insides, page by page, cataloguing the damage.
Raymond hated it.
And yet, despite how thoroughly he loathed the man, here he was, arms crossed, jaw locked sitting in Elias Bouchard’s office for an unfortunate impromptu meeting.
Something about “an incident report” or “security protocol.” Raymond wasn’t even sure anymore. The words coming from Elias’ mouth had long since faded into background static.
He was too busy staring at the man’s face, imagining what it would look like beat up. Or flustered . Honestly, either would satisfy the itch Raymond had.
Elias’ voice, smooth and damnably unbothered, cut through Raymond’s internal snarl.
“Raymond. Are you listening?”
Raymond’s arms tightened across his chest, his jaw strained with how hard his teeth were clenched right now.
“I’m listening.” he said flatly, though his tone said otherwise.
Elias didn’t even blink. Just gave one of his infuriating half-smiles and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth, watching Raymond like he was waiting for his guard to crack, just a smidge.
“Good,” Elias said simply. “I was asking if you noticed anything unusual about the visitor who attempted to access the lower stacks yesterday. Their credentials seemed…off.”
Of course he had, he wasn’t an idiot. That was part of his damn job. He’d flagged the guy immediately and sent him away without a further glance. But the way Elias asked made it sound like he’d been testing him.
Raymond’s teeth grinded together. “Yup. Caught it right away. You’d know that if you read my report.”
Elias inclined his head. “I read it. I simply wanted to hear it from you directly.”
Of course he did.
Raymond had to take a sharp inhale to stop himself from swinging. “Anything else you need to ‘’hear directly’’, or can I get back to work?”
Elias didn’t move, just nodded slowly with that infuriating calm, as if he’d already gotten exactly what he wanted from this exchange. His gaze didn’t leave Raymond’s own. It never quite left his face anytime they spoke.
“No, I believe that’s all. For now.”
Raymond pushed himself up from the chair, already regretting sitting in the first place. He didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t say thanks. He just turned on his heel and left the office, practically stomping back down the stairs. His knuckles were white as he clenched them at his sides.
By the time he reached his desk, one that was half heartedly placed right outside the archives, his heart was hammering with anger and something a bit deeper he didn’t care to think much about. He took a breath, then another.
Neither of which helped.
He sat down and stared blankly at the monitor, only half-seeing the screen.
There was a conclusion forming in the back of his mind. He didn’t like it. But he couldn’t shake it.
Elias Bouchard was going to push him past his limit. That much was inevitable.
And when that happened, Raymond was either going to kiss him. Hard, Angry, and against that smug bastard’s desk ... or sucker punch him straight in the jaw.
Both, Raymond had to admit, sounded great to his irritated muddled mind.
He’d never liked being seen.
But something about the way Elias looked at him, not like he was a danger but just.. A curiosity, made him reconsider that ideal.
Or maybe he really just needed to break Elias’ nose.
He would probably figure it out…Hopefully.