Mechanical Gods (lgbtq+)

Chapter Eight: Lenses

     Tyler calmed down the farther they went from the store, yet he couldn't get rid of the image of that man kicking Aiden on the street like a dog. Reaching their stop, he hopped off and walked toward the Android entrance.

     Aiden stepped out and Tyler tugged on his arm toward a seven stories-high building in front of the bus stop, where his studio was on the fifth floor. Tyler was nervous about introducing Aiden to the rest of his floormates. He didn't know how they're going to react. 

     Palms sweating, Tyler went out of the elevator door first, sighing in relief when he found no one was in the hall. He tugged at Aiden once again for him to hurry up to his office at the very end where a glass door read: NORTH PHOTOGRAPHY. Tyler smiled at the sign. He pushed Aiden inside. However, it would be no use anyway when everyone could see them from the glass wall.

     "Ah. So, this is your studio. I like it. It's modern."

     "You like it?"

     "It's comfortable and homey."

     "So, you don't like it."

     Aiden stared at him blankly. "No. I like it if you like it. I'm complimenting you."

     "That's not how it works," said Tyler, laughing.

     "Made you smile, didn't it?"

     "Fine. Whatever. Come. Let me show you around the studio."

     The fifth floor of the Johnston-Craig Property consisted of about five small, private businesses, including Tyler's. Used to be a textile warehouse back in the seventies, it had been renovated by some rich dude upstate, completed two years ago and Tyler rented a space on the fifth floor for half the price. It was a solid steal.

     Tyler's studio encompassed the entire western side of the building, consisting of three rooms and one open space. The latter was a spacious lounge that acted as Tyler's waiting room and lobby for his clients. One area served as the studio where all the magic happened as well as his office situated inside a spacious nook.

     The second room was his darkroom where he developed the pictures, and the last one was a storage area where Tyler kept half of his equipment and some props. Tyler showed Aiden around the office and remarked on everything that was important.

     "That's about it. Our next client is going to be here in half an hour, and your job as my assistant is to get them comfortable. There's a water dispenser right at the corner, and there's also sodas in the refrigerator in my office. Welcome them, and when we take the photos, you'll act as my back-up. If they ask anything about my business, I already uploaded my portfolio into your system to answer any of their curiosity," said Tyler.

     Aiden pointed at his head. "Got it all here. Safe and sound." 

     A loud knock brought Tyler out of his thoughts. Aiden gave him a curious look that said if this was the client, but Tyler shook his head and rolled his eyes. Jay Reynolds walked into his lounge without an invitation, smug in his black suit and slim tie, lowering the temperature in the room by a few degrees, and making Tyler almost believe that hell must've frozen over. Jay did a double take on Aiden, and the proud smile plastered on his lips stretched out into a full grin. He wiggled his eyebrows at Tyler and laughed.

     "An android? Are you kidding me? Did something happened that Tyler North finally decided to get a blank?" asked Jay, cackling like a hyena.

     Before Tyler could even answer, Jay called out down the hall for the others to come. His office, the Reynolds-Donahue Private Legal Counseling, was right next door to Tyler's studio, and William Donahue, the other half of the evil incarnate, sauntered out of their office, sporting the same expression as Jay. William started laughing when he saw Aiden.