Without Strings • •

[cullen lucio johansson]

Cullen’s foray into charity work had nothing to do with his company. Vis Novo benefited from having an owner who was generous to those in need, but that wasn’t why Cullen went out of his way to help people. It felt like a different lifetime now, but once he had experienced complete loss. His family had gone from wanting for nothing to struggling to eat. He knew that struggle and while he wouldn’t have that again while he was still alive, he couldn’t sit back and watch other people suffer through the same hardships. A bit of luck, but a great deal of hard work had gotten him where he was today, and Cullen never forgot that. He just wanted to give back to the places and the people who he felt needed it the most. He contributed to big events, to small events – he did bike rides and climbed mountains to raise money for causes that meant a great deal to him. Even when he was taking his vacation time away from being the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company, Cullen was still helping people in the world around him.

Today it was nothing big. There was no fancy event with people in expensive dresses and suits. It wouldn’t be reported in the papers, or captured on film for people to gossip about. Cullen got tired very quickly with that, and with people enquiring about his eligibility. It was like he needed to be married off to some socialite, some pretty young thing with a claim or a brother who had a small fortune or a business venture he might be interested in. Cullen didn’t want to play that game though. He wasn’t from that world even if he dipped his toes in it for the sake of charity. He was a humble boy who grew up knowing hard work and a passion for science. He had what he had because he and a few friends founded it, had an idea for renewable energy, and it worked. They weren’t geniuses, just scientists who had patented an idea and then proceeded to expand and build on it until it made them very successful and very rich. Cullen didn’t care about the money though; just that they had made a difference, provided jobs, and had maybe improved the world with an idea that had been born over drinks and a scrap of paper one day back in college.

He was a little overdressed for shopping, but Cullen had come from a business meeting cut short. The quarterly financial report was as he expected it to be, and with the weather being so warm he didn’t want to make anyone endure several dull hours on the top floor of the building he owned. He gave them the day and told the accountant just to send him the copy, unless there was anything the room needed to know about urgently. There wasn’t, as Cullen already knew, and so it was done with. Meetings like that were for the sake of the board. He knew the contents before they happened; he owned the company after all. Barnes and Noble had the AC on though, which made the task of sifting through the children’s section endurable. Every few months Cullen bought a hoard of children’s titles and gifted them to the local hospitals. He adored reading when he was a child and he knew there was very little that could be done from a hospital bed. He also knew books were prone to being damaged or lost over time, and new titles were always nice for those who were unfortunately in long term. He had more than enough money to see him through his life, and so things like this were the least he felt he could do. Balancing the pile in his arms, he noticed something falling from the corner of his eye. Spying the cylindrical tube rolling slowly across the floor, Cullen crossed to pick it up and then jogged slightly to catch up with the woman he suspected it came from. “Excuse me, I think this belongs to you.” He said with a warm smile as he held the lipstick back out to her.

• • •

TAGGED! Maia Louise Blackthorn
WORDS! 703!
OUTFIT! Gentle Gent!
LYRICS! Except For You - - Switchfoot
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Maia Louise Blackthorn]

In a just world, Maia wouldn't have even been in New York. In a perfect world, she would have been on the other side of the planet, dressed in desert fatigues and leading a group of brave men and women into an assignment that might have been their last. But the world was not perfect and Maia was in New York. At least the Fates had offered up an alternate that was just as good as the military one that she had dreamed for her entire life. Her life had turned upside down when she'd been eighteen and for a while Maia hadn't been able to cope with how unfair life had turned out to be. But she was stubborn and resilient and she came up with an option that worked for her, one that didn't take her fucked up heart into consideration. She had always been meant to serve and protect. Except she couldn't do that by conventional routes so she'd worked around the annoying system that said she couldn't do what she was born to do. There had been a long time there in her early twenties when she didn't know what she would do with her life. All she had ever wanted had been viciously torn from her hands.

Maia had been able to build herself a new life eventually. It had taken too much heartbreak, a little wallowing and then a lot of help and more work than she'd even considered thanks to city codes. But it had been totally worth it, even if at first it wasn't exactly what Maia had planned for herself. She was still around what she enjoyed to be around, teaching people how to use them properly and giving those who wanted to practice the space to do just that safely. And then she found her calling and Maia never looked back from it. She went from hating the world for taking what she wanted away from her to becoming the owner of a multi-million dollar personal security firm. And all before she was thirty. She wasn't such a big believer in all things Holy, too often needing proof to believe in anything at all but whenever she looked back, she thought it all had Ethan's name written all over it.

He'd always been a wonderful man and Maia would have been happy to have even the chance to call him her husband but they'd never gotten that chance. So instead, she honoured him and their love for each other in the most unusual way; picking up his favourite comic whenever a new one was released. She had so many of them she had just stopped counting them. But she did it because it was something that she could do. Barnes and Noble probably wasn't the best place to pick it up but and normally she would have taken the extra time to hit Forbidden Planet but Faith's birthday was coming up and the girl loved to read. And Maia had been friends with the younger woman long enough to know which authors she enjoyed and the feisty bodyguard habitually just picked the latest one and hoped she didn't have it yet. Maia turned and looked at the man before looking down at his hands. She was always on alert and not just because it was part of her job. She'd be taught to be cautious and have her eyes open from the time she'd been born. These days, it was just what she did. Seeing the tube of lipstick, Maia instantly relaxed. "Yes, thank you. That shade is discontinued." She added, no doubt making it obvious that it was her favourite. She knew a girl who worked the cosmetics counter and had stockpiled the colour so she would have it for a while before it really was time to find a new favourite shade of red.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || cullen lucio johansson
Words || 646
Clothes || Gorgeous Guard
Music || Girls --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[cullen lucio johansson]

New York was his home, but Cullen didn’t spend all of his time there. He enjoyed travelling, and had so much left that he wished to see. He had that luxury, and while he enjoyed his escapes from city life, he also went to places to help those in need. Poorer places, orphanages and locations that weren’t exactly tourist hotspots. He liked giving back, and since he was a transplant in the city, too, he understood that there were problems around the globe and not just in the city that never sleeps. He wanted to help people, no matter where they were from or the language they spoke. He liked meeting them, lending a hand building a water well, or putting bricks down for what would one day be a school house. He’d been to places hit by storms and helped clean up the mess. He knew what it was like to lose everything and money would never change him. He could be at the bottom again, and Cullen wasn’t the type to look down on those who were already there.

He enjoyed helping people, making even a tiny difference in their day, or their lives. It was why he hadn’t retired with his friends when they were ridiculously rich enough to not need to work again. Vis Novo had made a difference in the world, but he knew the wrong people could undo their hard work if they all walked away. He preferred being the only one left if it meant that couldn’t happen. Plus, he still had plans. He could still invest and help with other projects and ideas, and make a future with that company. Things they didn’t think were possible five years ago. Charity might have been his heart, but his company helped a great deal with businesses who needed to improve themselves and their reputations as the world fought to become a greener place. Cullen enjoyed being a part of that, even if sometimes he bashed heads with grumpy CEOs who didn’t want a younger man telling them what to do. Especially one who they thought put on a front when he was photographed donating money to a good cause. In reality, Cullen only wished the cameras weren’t there.

At least he knew there would be none when he dropped off the books to the children’s wards, perhaps stuck around to read a story or two. That sort of thing was discreet. It was only the big auctions and galas the press got in on, publicising the charity. He was all for that; the causes deserved the attention. Far too many times though the stories focused on who gave money, the people in attendance and what was worn. The point sometimes got lost in the gossip and the drama of it all. Smiling warmly, Cullen couldn’t help but to look at the colour on her lips, merely out of curiosity than anything else. “And it is a lovely shade.” He said charmingly, pulling his hand back once she had taken the lipstick from him. He flirted far too easily sometimes, but he was just that way when he was around a pretty woman.

• • •

TAGGED! Maia Louise Blackthorn
WORDS! 530!
OUTFIT! Gentle Gent!
LYRICS! Except For You - - Switchfoot
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Maia Louise Blackthorn]

Maia had to balance a lot in a single day. There were phone calls, appointments and paperwork and her actual job of protecting the people who hired her and her team. She wasn't always around, her company was a very in-demand one and she had quite a few guards in her employ who took care of the clients as well. But she did take on jobs herself when the clients were her friends, too or if someone on her team came to her with a problem. It didn't happen often, most of the people they catered to were good enough people but some of them had ridiculous demands and expected the bodyguards to deal with it. They were not personal assistants and Maia hadn't lost count of how many times she'd had to step in and explain that to people. Just because they were famous or had tons of money, they thought they could do whatever they pleased.

Maia hated people like that. Why couldn't they use their names and privilege to do something good in the world? Celebrities had always confused her though so she tried not to think too much about it. It was the people that did things and stayed quiet about that Maia thought should be the ones in the spotlight. They were selflessly helping other people, bringing joy to another's life, even in a simple gesture like giving some money to a homeless person on the street. Or, in her case, she offered up a warm meal at a close diner, a conversation. They were people, too and should be treated as such. She did her part when she could but she always felt like there was more she could do; even if there wasn't.

Maia shook her head, internally yelling at herself for not being more observant. "Sorry, I sound like some obnoxious woman, rambling about a lipstick. Maia." She said, extending her hand at the introduction. She was a bodyguard for Christ's sake and she was acting like the least observant person around. Normally, the day couldn't just tick by for her, lost in thoughts or whatever else she was doing; unless she was staring at a computer screen. Of course, that was generally brought on by the fact that she hated spreadsheets. But they were part of a business and she was running two of those so it was the hell she'd chosen. "As savior of my sole personal crutch, care to share a coffee with me?" she asked, completely understanding if the handsome man standing in front of her wasn't in the least bit interested in sharing a coffee with a woman who appeared to be completely shallow. Maia considered herself many things but shallow had never been one of them. And the only times she ever cared about her appearance were the jobs she had to wear formal wear. She could and did but she always felt just a little uncomfortable; probably because there were too many eyes on her. She enjoyed blending into the scene but her choices in wardrobe were rarely hers and that left quite a bit of skin showing more often than not.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || cullen lucio johansson
Words || 527
Clothes || Gorgeous Guard
Music || Girls --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[cullen lucio johansson]

Cullen didn’t like delegating like some of the CEO’s he met at the fancy conventions he had no choice but to attend. Some of the people there were full of themselves. Every task was handed off to an assistant, a secretary, or twenty-something interns desperate for a chance to prove themselves. Cullen had all of them, and there was a chain of order at Vis Novo, too, but when he was in the office, he was just as likely to be seen standing at the copier or making his own drinks as he was holding meetings with interested clients and chair members who wanted to be kept up to date with the company’s dealings. He wasn’t afraid of hard work, and he was able to do a huge chunk himself while he was there. He liked to meet anyone who had been hired in his absence, often apologising for not being around when they first began. Cullen wanted to know his staff. He wanted to be able to remember them as best as he could, and offer them support when their lives needed it. It wasn’t some gimmick or an act. He had built his way to the top from the very bottom, and he knew just how hard it could be when you worked for some faceless corporation who saw you as some meaningless body and not a distinct individual with needs that went beyond the front door of the building. He knew it was impossible to remember them all, but he put in the effort to greet everyone when he passed by them, and to make idle chat when he had the chance. Something was better than nothing.

Cullen disliked being away when someone in his company required his help. Plus, Cullen couldn’t always be ‘Mr Nice Guy’. There were times when employees needed to be let go, and even if it was well deserved, he still didn’t like doing it. In the past there was always another partner to do the dirty work, but these days Vis Novo saw only Cullen at the top of the food chain. He saw to all the business, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. It didn’t mean he had to get any pleasure from all of it. As much as Cullen lived to help people – especially those in need – he wouldn’t sit around and let people take advantage of what he had built with his friends. There were other people in the world who would work hard for the jobs those slackers wasted. Cullen would rather someone had it who would appreciate it. He had been taught how important work was, and he wouldn’t stand by and pay someone who did nothing.

Letting out a soft chuckle, he shook his head lightly. “We all have our little weaknesses. Mine is hand moisturiser.” He admitted in a theatrical whisper. With all the outdoor activities Cullen was so soft of, his hands took quite a beating. For a businessman Cullen could have dry hands when he came back from his trips, but thankfully he invested a small amount of his wealth on creams made for outdoorsmen like himself. They kept the skin from breaking so much, prevented callouses from rubbing on the edges of his fingers. It was a little thing compared to some of the suffering he saw out there in the world, but Cullen had grown up in a culture where those little niggly things could be fixed, and so they were. “Only if you let me buy the cakes to go with that coffee.” Cullen said with a charming smile. He wasn’t a big sweet tooth himself, but when he was enjoying a drink with someone, he always appreciated something to nibble at.

• • •

TAGGED! Maia Louise Blackthorn
WORDS! 629!
OUTFIT! Gentle Gent!
LYRICS! Except For You - - Switchfoot
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Maia Louise Blackthorn]

Maia's life might have been far from the same old, dull day-to-day that everyone else in the city believed they led but it was by no means the exciting thing people thought up whenever they heard she was in personal security. Mostly because she then had to dumb it down and explain she was a bodyguard. It wasn't the only thing about her, she had been first, a business owner and operator. She'd become a certified bodyguard at twenty-six but she'd been the owner of Fire Away for two years already at that point. Realistically, she hadn't needed any more than that. She'd been doing very well for herself but she'd always had a hole in her backwards heart that couldn't be filled with the likes of a firing range business. In fact, being there almost every day made her a little sad. It was a small aspect of what she'd really wanted to do with her life and hadn't been able to because of that pesky heart condition.

Personal security didn't have the same requirements the military had so she was free to become certified. Maia had always been meant to serve and protect. She couldn't do it the way she'd always dreamed but she was able to do it and do it well. It was a win for the brunette who quickly became a go-to for several clients. Creating Blackthorn Security had been a no brainer. Maia might have wanted to serve her country but she'd learned over the last few years that she didn't take so well to being told what to do. As part of a team, she would have done whatever was asked of her but being the one in charge was so much more satisfying. She liked having that power and knowing how to use it. It really had been only a matter of time before she created another business around her new career. It had been surprisingly easy finding ex-military and ex-police force who weren't quite ready to give up the life. She had a small but extremely skilled group of men and women at her disposal for jobs around the world.

Maia grinned, understanding the need to keep up appearances. "I can appreciate that." She said with a nod. From his, she could see he was probably a businessman but had hobbies that didn't quite match the job. It was probably canoeing or kayaking, using his hands for something other than signing papers. She could appreciate having a hobby that had nothing to do with his day-to-day lifestyle. She, herself, didn't really have anything like that aside from painting. It was her one outlet that had nothing to do with either of her businesses. She just really enjoyed letting her inner thoughts out as soon as paintbrush hit the canvas. "I can never say no to sweets." She admitted with a grin. She had a healthy sweet tooth, which she indulged regularly. It was the one thing that wasn't particularly healthy about her eating habits. She worked out so much, took such good care of her health and wellbeing that she indulged that habit on a very regular basis.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || cullen lucio johansson
Words || 527
Music || Girls --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[cullen lucio johansson]

Some of the guys he had formed Vis Novo with had celebrated their early thirties with retirement, and Cullen could probably have done the same. One or two had sold their share to wealthy investors who had tried to pull the energy company into a direction of their own machination, but Cullen had shot that down before they could even get the idea out of an email. The friendship of four college idiots went beyond ludicrous amounts of money and they had made it so that if any of them bailed the remaining founders held the control regardless of who else came on board. It was a nasty shock for rich idiots who didn’t read the fine print and only saw dollar signs. However, that was how Cullen kept control and still managed to escape the office as often as he did. He didn’t need to be watching over every single move made by those who worked beneath him. The people he hired and promoted were people he had come to trust. If there was a problem they could usually handle it without having to call him back early, but if it really was so bad that they needed the big guy…well, the joke he had once heard from Lyra was that people cleared out of the office and did their best to play up the idea that he was some big intimidating hulk of a guy.

Cullen appreciated that kind of humour. Honestly, he was laidback just as much as he was hardworking. The only time he ever lost his temper was when someone rode someone else’s coattails and took the credit for their hard work. He had no patience for that sort of thing. He also had no time for those who those who slacked off while the rest did the work for them. There was no room at Vis Novo for attitudes like that, and over the years Cullen had made a public display of admonishing those with that kind of work ethic. His father hadn’t worked himself to an early grave for that kind of slacker mentality. Not that there was ever any proof of that. Doctors had said his father was in great health when the heart attack had killed him, but Cullen had been convinced it was the stress from years before finally catching up with him. Everything Cullen did as an adult had been to make his father proud. He had taught him all he knew about hard work and Cullen was convinced that without him, Vis Novo wouldn’t exist.

“So were you looking for anything interesting?” Cullen asked, gesturing to the displays of books as he led the way to the small coffee shop nestled in the back of Barnes & Noble. He joined the small queue and cast his gaze over the assortment of cakes, traybakes and cupcakes that lined the glass case between them and the hard working baristas. He didn’t normally stop off here, preferring the little bakery a few blocks away, but Cullen didn’t know anything at all about this stranger’s plans and he didn’t want to accidentally pull her away from too much of her day. He had the fortunate ability to reschedule a lot of his tasks if he got distracted or held up at some other appointment; it wasn’t a power too many other people got to employ in their day to day, sadly. Cullen, however, often encouraged his own staff to take time if they needed it to attend to personal matters, reminding them that work would still be there when they came back, that other people could pick it up. It wasn’t something he’d tolerate being abused or taken advantage of, but he didn’t feel comfortable having time to burn and flexibility in his own role if others couldn’t enjoy the same advantage from time to time, too. “So spoilt for choice or already chosen?” He asked, turning back to his newest acquaintance.

• • •

TAGGED! Maia Louise Blackthorn
WORDS! 664
LYRICS! Except For You - - Switchfoot
NOTES! <3 <3 <3