Just a little one shot for you all simply because I am ill and hate the world for it. I did write another one-shot but it ended up being about 4000 words and it was long and depressing and poorly written so I deleted it. I might give it another go, but I don't know.
I do not know if anyone worked it out from the title but this is sort of a sequel to 'Boredom'.
Payback.
Leo sniggered as his two younger colleagues walked out of the lab, on their way to a conference that would be having them staying in the same hotel room. They had both been very wary of him since they filled his office with balloons and wrapped everything in wrapping paper. They had no idea that how much time Leo had spent trying to find a hotel with only one empty room for the night of the conference. He shook his head and got to work phoning around the block of labs.
"Hi, we're here to check into our rooms, Harry Cunningham and Nikki Alexander." Harry said as they both walked up to the desk in the reception of the little hotel. The receptionist typed onto her computer and then turned around and placed a key on the desk.
"You're in room nine." She smiled and went back to the sketch she was drawing.
"No, there must be some kind of mistake. There are two of us." Harry said, indicating to himself and Nikki.
"It's a double room." The receptionist shrugged, looking between the couple who weren't technically a couple. "You can share."
"No, we were told that we would have two separate rooms." Harry spread his hands out on the counter and looked down at them, trying to calm his anger.
"Harry," Nikki said, placing her hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him. "Is it at all possible that we could have another room, please?" She asked the receptionist.
"Sorry," The dark haired woman said, looking truly apologetic. "We don't have any empty rooms. If I could I would, but I really can't. I'm so sorry."
"No, it's fine." Nikki smiled. "I'm sure we could share."
"Yeah, I mean how hard can it be." The receptionist said and Harry cringed at her words.
"Yes, ok. Room nine, where is that?" He smiled.
"Up the stairs, turn left, it's on your right." The receptionist murmured, engrossed back in her drawing.
"I am going to kill Leo next time I see him" Harry muttered as they walked to their room.
"Professor Dalton, this is cruel." Zak said as he helped carry Harry's desk down to the front of the building. He placed it next to Nikki's and put a sign on the front that read 'For sale. Any queries ask for professor Dalton at the main reception.'
"It's fine, they'll be back any minute." Leo said as he walked back up to the lab where Janet was setting up the two brightly coloured children's desks in the same format that Harry and Nikki's old desks had been in. "Oh, don't forget the computers." He said, handing Janet a pink leapfrog my first computer thing that he had borrowed from one of the lab techs as he set up a green one that had been donated by a rather unhappy forensic tech who had had a prank pulled on him by Harry and wanted to get his own back.
"I do feel bad." Janet said, trying desperately not to smile but letting a snigger escape.
"Well, I'm going to be watching from my office. I have told security to reroute the CCTV footage from this room to anyone who emails, asking for the videos of the prank that everybody has wanted to pull but nobody has had the guts." Leo grinned as his phone rang.
"Are they our desks?" Nikki asked as they drove past the two desks and into the car park.
"What the hell is Leo playing at. He is selling our desks!" Harry cried, taking note of the directions on the sign. Come on, lets go enquire at reception about our desks.
"Professor Dalton, someone would like to speak to you about the desks for sale." The receptionist said down the phone when Leo picked it up.
"Can I talk to them, please?" Leo asked, grinning.
"Yes, certainly." There was a long pause whilst the phone was handed over. "Professor Dalton, I was told to enquire with you about why mine and Nikki's desks are for sale."
"Ah, Harry." Leo smiled "Your desks are for sale because you have got new ones. These new ones are more appropriate for you and your style of work." Leo grinned and Janet sniggered. "They are also more space conserving. It gives us more room." Janet laughed again and Leo glared at her.
"Leo, who is laughing?" Harry asked, and Leo could imagine him frowning.
"Oh, just one of the lab techs walking past, Zak told a joke." Leo sniggered. "It's very funny."
"What is the joke?" Harry asked, curious.
"You have to come up here to find out. Zak has to tell it himself and there are hand actions." Leo bluffed.
"Ok, we'll be up in five minutes." Harry said, hanging up.
"They're on their way."
"Leo? Where are our new desks?" Nikki called as she and Harry walked into the lab.
"Yeah, I don't..." Harry stopped abruptly when he saw the two children's desks sat in the middle of the lab. "Leo you said they were appropriate for our style of work."
"Harry, you rarely do any work." Leo sniggered at the faces of his colleagues.
"I do work!" Nikki said accusingly and looked at Leo's face "Some of the time."
