Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Author's Note: Another older fanfic. Honestly? I like the concept of this story but I don't particularly like the style of writing nor do I like how rushed it feels. Idk, I feel like I still need to work on these elements, even now. I need to make chapters less choppy because they kind of go all over the place and don't always follow on fluidly from the previous chapter... Bleugh... I need to work on it. Anyway, originally written in 2013.
The streets of Gotham were extremely busy as people were bustling about their day. Some could say the city was busier since December was fast approaching and people were eager to begin their Christmas shopping; however, long time citizens of the town would say different in a heartbeat. The end of autumn was always the worst for Gotham; the streets became a lot darker and the chill in the air was sharper. Anyone could imagine the pure joy when December finally arrived. Amongst the hectic atmosphere, frustration was an all too familiar feeling that kept surfacing within a specific company building.
Within the very top floor of Wayne Enterprises, a certain male was becoming more and more irritated by every passing minute. Any normal person would believe such stress was being caused by the stacks of paperwork however; Richard Grayson was having trouble remaining sane for a completely different reason,
"I thought you wanted this folder completed?" His airhead of a secretary assumed, popping her bubblegum between her teeth.
"No Shontelle... I gave you the folder and said not to make any amendments to it because it needed to be looked over. I gave you the red folder and told you to write the already written notes up." Dick exhaled, angrily. He always tried to keep a reasonable tone even when the majority of his secretaries got their tasks completely wrong.
"Well you totally should be clearer Mr Boss dude." Shontelle replied stubbornly, checking her nails to make sure they weren't chipped. Dick grinded his teeth in annoyance and ran a hand over his face.
"Right." He mumbled. Shontelle clicked her tongue and glanced at the clock,
"I'm gonna go for my lunch break now!" Shontelle chirped, jumping in place and turning towards the office doors. Dick snapped his head up in disbelief,
"Shontelle, you've got work-" He was cut off,
"Human rights, dude!" She responded, ducking out of the office without another word. Dick groaned and rubbed his temples angrily. Dick got up from his chair and wandered over to the doors. He propped one of the doors open to take a look at Shontelle's workstation.
He couldn't believe what a mess the desk was in. Empty soda cans were sprawled over the desk with a couple littering upon the floor. Crumbs were dotted over the ripped chair and what angered Dick most of all was the fact that there was more bottles of nail polish than there was paperwork or stationary.
"That's it." Dick seethed, clenching his fist by his side. He stormed down the hallways in search of the only person in charge of Dick's decisions; it was ironic how the same person was his adoptive father.
When he came to Bruce Wayne's door, he didn't even stop to rap his knuckles against the door. He barged straight in and planted his hands firmly against the mahogany desk, creating a loud thud. Bruce stared at him patiently with an eyebrow raised,
"I want her gone." Dick demanded, jaw set.
"Her being...?" Bruce urged,
"Shontelle! She barely does work and treats the place like a home from home."
"Why don't you wait a while? She might change-"
"No!" Dick commanded, "I'm sick of this, Bruce. I don't want any more bubble headed bimbos or any more fat oldies who hardly remember what I asked them seconds before."
Bruce nodded as a sign that Dick had his attention,
"Seriously. Where do you even find these secretaries? I need someone who's willing to actually do work; not someone who uses the job as a pastime."
Bruce shrugged, "If you're not happy with your current secretary then I'll be happy to find you a new one," He informed him,
Dick sighed in relief, "Thank you," He breathed. Bruce held up a hand which made Dick gulp on cue.
"But," Bruce began, causing Dick to groan, "Since Shontelle is your secretary, I expect you to fire her."
Dick visibly slumped, "But I hate that!" He protested, "They either cry or yell and throw things at me."
Bruce made a disapproving expression at Dick and pointed to his door, "Go and fire her." Bruce ordered,
Dick rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I can't yet..." He huffed, "She's on her lunch break."
Bruce held an expression of confusion before double taking at the clock, "It's 9am..." He stated.
Dick sighed, "I know. Do you see what I mean now?"
"I'll work on it and try and find you a new secretary within the next few days," Bruce reassured, ushering Dick from his office. Dick nodded in thanks and stalked back to his office, feeling a migraine coming on.
After about an hour of Dick simply relaxing in his chair to relieve him of his headache, the doors to his office swung open and Shontelle strolled in, "You wanted to see me?" She wondered, chewing a new piece of gum. Dick sat up and sighed,
"Yeah... Shontelle, listen..." He started, "As great as you've been at this job... I'm afraid I'm gonna have to let you go..."
"You are so not serious, right?" She asked, flabbergasted at the idea of being fired,
"I'm afraid I am serious. It's just that-" She cut him off with a wave of her hand,
"D'you know what? I don't even need this crappy job. Ya'll don't know what you're losing." She ranted, storming out of Dick's office. Even when she was just outside, he could still hear her incessant moaning. With a heavy inhale of breath, Dick pushed himself away and up from his desk to follow Shontelle out. He stood by the door and tried to look remorseful about firing her but he was honestly so ecstatic that she was no longer going to be working there. She was beyond terrible.
Dick had completely stopped listening to her words of anger and rage but he was drawn out of his own thoughts by her last shout throughout the floor, "JERK!" She shouted, stomping her foot and huffing. She turned away, box of things in hand and stormed through the hallways.
Dick smirked once she had completely gone and punched the air with as much enthusiasm as he could. He knew no one was around but he cleared his throat and straightened his suit immediately afterwards.
He turned and re-entered his office as casually as he could without seeming too gleeful at the thought of no more idiotic secretary.
Dick gently cricked his neck as he made his way out of his car. He really needed to obtain a new and more comfortable way of sleeping; every other morning he had to deal with soreness in his joints. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, locking his car in the process.
The first thing he did when he got into the lobby of the workplace was buy a strong espresso; he definitely needed it this morning. Bruce had informed him the previous night that he had found him a new secretary. Bruce's recommendation of this one seemed to be rated pretty high; he had told Dick that she was very eager to work and was very organised and she had received quite high standard references. These factors definitely intrigued Dick but what really shocked him was the fact that this girl was only 18 and yet she had more work experience than Dick himself who was now 22. That was the very gist of what Bruce had told him; he would have at least liked to know her name or what she looked like.
As Dick received his caffeine fix and paid, he felt a firm hand come down upon his shoulder. Dick turned and wasn't really surprised to see Bruce,
"Hey," He greeted before taking a sip of the coffee,
A man of few words, Bruce simply nodded his 'hello' to Dick. Most people would usually become insulted at Bruce's silence but Dick had become accustomed to it; he had had 12 years to do so in all fairness.
"So," Dick began, "Tell me some more about the girl then,"
"She's waiting at her new workstation," Bruce explained, "What else do you need to know?"
"A name would be good, Bruce."
"Well her name is Kori Anders."
"Kori... Huh... Go on."
"Mm... She's had 4 different jobs since finishing high school at the start of this year?"
"Not bad... What else?"
Bruce sighed, clearly bored of giving Dick a file report on his new intern. Dick couldn't help but smirk. He may not have been classified as a teenager anymore but he would forever be stuck in his ways; especially when it came to irritating Bruce.
Dick and Bruce stepped into the elevator and Dick pressed the button leading to the top floor. While they waited, Dick decided to try and get some more info on Kori,
"So what type of girl is she?" Dick wondered,
"What?" Bruce groaned,
"Serious, bimbo, polite? What?"
"She seems quite... perky."
"Mm... Never had a perky secretary before."
Bruce didn't respond.
"Is she a paid or unpaid intern?"
"Paid," Bruce said in a matter of fact tone, "I don't think this company has ever tried unpaid,"
Dick nodded to show that he was listening. He hated having to make small talk with Bruce; whereas Dick was willing to talk, Bruce was not.
Finally they arrived on the desired floor. Dick eyed Bruce carefully, "What? You're gonna walk me to my intern?" Dick asked, sarcastically,
"Well do you know what she looks like?" Bruce retorted,
Dick made a face, "Fair enough," He shrugged. They continued walking through the hallways. He wouldn't admit it out loud but Dick was kind of excited about gaining a new secretary; as long as she did her job, he saw no reason why they couldn't get along; maybe even be general friends.
They rounded the final corner and Dick gulped as he noticed a red haired girl patiently waiting at the secretary desk. He smiled fondly as she was already tidying things on the desk to be more organised. They approached and Bruce cleared his throat, causing the young girl to jump and turn to them with a friendly smile.
Dick felt his jaw drop slightly. Something Bruce had completely forgot to mention was the fact that Kori was stunning. His main focus was drawn to her eyes. They were a deep shade of emerald green and they glimmered more that Dick thought other people's eyes shone. Her eyes practically lit up as her dazzling smile electrified every feature upon her face which only enhanced her beauty. Dick found it coincidental that her hair matched exactly to the preferred hair colour and length that he was always so very fond of. Kori's skin was moderately tanned and gave her a very distinct exotic appearance.
"Dick," Bruce sounded, "This is your new intern secretary; Kori Anders,"
Dick blinked a couple times to shake his intense thoughts involving Kori's appearance. He produced a friendly smile upon his features and gently put his hand out to her,
"Nice to meet you, Kori. I'm Richard Grayson and I'll be your new boss." He said in a professional tone that he used with every employee but he couldn't help but feel as though his greeting seemed more upbeat than it usually was.
Before Kori could answer, Bruce placed his hands behind his back, "I'll leave you to it then. Good luck, miss Anders." Bruce said with a forced smile before disappearing towards his own office.
Dick's eyes never left Kori's face as she nodded to Bruce. When she turned back to face him, Dick's mood intensified slightly,
"Greetings, Mr Grayson. I would like to thank you for the opportunity of working here at Wayne Enterprises; it means ever so much to me," She voiced with that infectious smile of hers.
"No problem. It seems you've got a lot of ranged experience which only makes you perfect for the position," He replied, placing his hands in his pockets at an attempt to break down the social boundaries. Kori's smile only grew and Dick felt his own lips quirking up into a smile. Kori placed her hands behind her back in an obedient manner and stared up at him,
"What would you like for me to do first?" She questioned,
Dick cleared his throat and shook his head, "Oh right..." He coughed and readjusted himself, "Follow me please, Kori."
Kori nodded and instantly followed behind Dick as he marched into his office. He picked up a small stack of paperwork that was urgently needed and turned back to Kori. He smirked as he watched her staring around his office in awe,
"Like it?" He chuckled,
"Forgive me," She apologised, tinging slightly pink, "I have never seen such a lovely office."
"Thanks," Dick grinned. He suddenly felt like he was back in high school; Kori seemed so easy to get along with and the thoughts he had earlier on involving her good looks pulsed within his mind; it wasn't really something he could ignore.
Kori bashfully nodded and strode closer to him. Dick gulped as her hands slipped against his own while she took the paperwork from him,
"Please," She voiced, "Is there a specific time you need this paperwork to be completed by, Mr Grayson?"
Her voice is so angelic Dick thought to himself.
"Mr Grayson?" Kory prompted,
"Huh? Oh!" He was trying and failing miserably at acting cool in front of her, "Uh... If you could get them done as soon as possible Kori, that'd be fantastic."
"I shall begin working on it immediately." She promised. She brought the stack closer to her chest and nodded to Dick before turning and swiftly leaving his office.
Dick smiled after her but his dreamy smile vanished suddenly and he ran a hand over his face. He was conflicted.
What the fuck am I doing? She's your intern, Dick; you can't think of her in any way other than professionally. C'mon... You've only just met her. She might be a terrible worker. You wanted a secretary who does the work, not one who captures your attention every time she speaks! Although... She is really endearing and really quite beautiful- Stop it Dick! Sit down and do the work that YOU are supposed to be doing.
Having a mental argument with himself wasn't helping anything in the slightest. He sighed and took a seat and tried to forget about the impact that his new employee had already had on him...
... Which was kind of hard considering Kori was back within 45 minutes with the work he had given her earlier on, finished and completely up to scratch.
Okay... So, trying to convince himself that she was going to be a terrible worker had already failed...