I can’t just write a fic about Castor giving Tron a sexy massage

nor can it be just a vehicle to reveal elaborate headcanons about the characters, their backstories, and the backstories of tangentially related supporting characters

sometimes it’s gotta also include horrible little E-Aster eggs revealing RPF (real-program-fic) crack headcanons about real-world corporations (or at least their Tron-universe versions)

because that’s who I am, okay

There's a brief conflict in Tron's upper arms, as tension tries to rise again, even under the relaxing massage. "Programmers uploaded malware to GridHub? And Flynn accepted it?" Castor chuckles softly, redoubling the pressure. "Flynn, bless his kind soul, felt he could rehabilitate anyone. And Gem, if she was any echo of her creator, at least sometimes wished to be rehabilitated. She said that her User surrendered the last copy of her to the Hub, upon renouncing her scamming days and deciding to go 'white hat.' Supposedly with the hope of someday becoming a developer for a legitimate company, if she could find one that 'wasn't going to be evil. I doubt she ever found such a thing, poor dear, but... Users will try, won't they?" "Always." Tron sighs. "Quite so." Castor's massaging touch reaches his elbows, and the more sensitive circuits leading to his hands. "It was our names that caught each other's attention, believe it or not. I'm sure you're aware, I have been many things-- more and more as time went on-- but among the earliest was Translator. Interpreter. Names, words, meanings, they've always held a certain interest..." Tron fights his instinct to stiffen up. "Hm. 'Gem'? You felt like collecting shiny things, then? Very you." "Her true filename was Gemini. Her User liked the sound of it, probably had dreams of reusing it for something more official, someday." His voice is soothing-- to Tron, something like a siren song in itself. Trying to lull him into accepting that touch, in that place-- his wrists and hands, where he's almost sure the last gentle touch he ever felt was Yori's.ALT


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