Helloooooo everyone! So, this drabble was a request from the lovely Black-Sheep o' FanFics for one of three rare pairs, and I'm more than happy to take those types of requests, so here you go love! Enjoy! ~Cheylock
Kirkland Industries: an England x Fem!Russia drabble
Anya sighed as she hunched over her keyboard in her tiny, eight by eight foot cubicle attempting to get a spreadsheet completed that was absolutely required for her next meeting with her boss. She worked for Kirkland Industries, which had started off as just a tiny little magic shop in the Kirkland garage and turned into an industry in and of itself almost overnight.
Arthur Kirkland, the CEO of the company as well as the boss that Anya was preparing the data analysis for, was the one who had groomed the company into what it was today. He was also one of the youngest CEOs to ever grace the competitive marketplace, being only 25 and well on his way to becoming a multi-millionaire if things kept on track for the next few years.
All of those things didn't quite matter to Anya, however. She didn't see him as one of the most powerful and influential business owners of the 2000s, but instead as the object of her affection. That's right: Anya Braginski had fallen head over heels for the shaggy haired Brit. She couldn't help it! He was kind, and sweet, and witty, and a gentleman to top it all off. He had played violin at the office Christmas party last year, and given half of his earnings to homeless shelters across the city for a birthday gift to himself. And if that wasn't enough, he was attractive to boot. Sure, his eyebrows were stronger than some of the other men she had dated in her time, but that was beside the point. He really was her perfect man…and she was a number in his eyes.
She sighed and glanced at the clock in the lower right corner of her computer screen. 5:02 pm. Perfect. She glanced over her spreadsheet once more to make sure that all of the numbers were correct before hitting the print button and standing to go grab it from the printer. Once she had picked up the precious document and slipped it into a manila folder along with other data she had collected over the course of the month, she began to make her way up to Arthur's office. Being that he was the CEO of the company, he obviously didn't work on the same floor of the building that she did. In fact, he had a floor to himself that one could only access by using a special key card in the elevator. Any of Arthur's advisors had keys, however, and so Anya slipped into the elevator and swiped the card with ease, causing the elevator doors to glide shut and begin to ascend.
Once the elevator halted on the top floor and the doors opened, Anya stepped out and smoothed down her pale pink dress before going and knocking on the glass door of Arthur's private office. She heard a faint buzz and took the hint that she was allowed to enter, as Arthur had just buzzed her in. She carefully opened the door and stepped inside to find Arthur sitting behind his large mahogany desk looking dashing as always. He was in a charcoal grey suit, and an emerald green tie drew attention to his eyes. She took a little pride in knowing that she was behind that fashion choice, as at their last meeting she had told him that next time he wore that suit he should wear one because the white he had been wearing managed to wash him out.
"Ah, Anya. Just on time, as usual. Please, take a seat," Arthur said kindly, standing up out of his chair as she entered the room and not sitting until she did. Once she had, he folded his hands on top of a leather bound calendar and smiled at her. "I assume you have the data I asked for, yes?"
"Of course, sir," she nodded, a faint Russian lilt to her words as she spoke. While she had lived in Britain for most of her life, she had originally learned English when she lived in Moscow, so she still had a faint accent when pronouncing her words. She handed the file folder across the table, feeling her pulse skyrocket when their fingers barely brushed during the hand off. "I'm sure you'll find the numbers to your liking. Everything has been going very well."
Arthur hummed and opened the folder. He removed a few of the documents and spread them out across the desk so that he could look at them all at once and glanced them over. "How many employees were hired this month?"
"An even 200, sir," she answered confidently.
"And how many were let go?"
"Thirty seven from HR and twenty two from customer service."
"How is our stock doing?"
"Steadily climbing at a rate of +1.26%."
These questions continued to be passed between the two of them for almost forty five minutes, and Anya had an answer for each and every one of them. She was the best in the office, after all, and Arthur knew that, so he had saved the most difficult of the research for her in a test of her skills as well as recognition that she possessed them at all.
When their meeting finally concluded, Anya stood and gathered up the new files that Arthur had given her while they talked, tucking them securely under her arm before smoothing down the skirt of her dress that had wrinkled the slightest bit from sitting in one spot for so long. "So long, Mister Kirkland," she said kindly, turning to leave when a small voice in the back her mind halted her mid-stride. She took a deep breath and decided to take the leap of faith. She turned back to face her boss, who was now packing his briefcase to go home and said timidly "Mister Kirkland?"
"Yes Anya?" he asked, looking up from his papers and files into the face of a (fairly obviously) nervous woman.
"I was wondering…if you are not too busy…would you maybe like to have dinner with me sometime?" she asked sheepishly. Breathe, Anya. The worst he can do is say no to you. Don't freak yourself out more than you have to…
Arthur paused, thinking over the offer. He…hadn't really been out on a proper date in ages, come to think of it, since he had started the company almost five years prior. As he looked her over, she was rather pretty… "Why not?" he hummed. "Dinner sounds lovely. Are you busy tonight?"
Anya tried hard not to look shell-shocked by his yes, but she couldn't quite help it. Arthur Kirkland had just said yes to a date with her! "I would like to go home to freshen up first, but no, I'm not. That sounds lovely. Why don't you meet me at my flat, say…eight o'clock?" she suggested, a pink staining her cheeks that Arthur could swear matched the dress she wore almost to the letter.
"Perfect," he nodded, a charming smile slipping onto his lips as he made his way around his desk and over to where she stood. "Where exactly do you live?"
"125 Lilian Drive," she said, the blush only getting worse the closer he got to her.
"Well then, I'll see you at eight, love," he smiled, his eyes locking with hers as he bowed down, took her hand, and lightly pressed her knuckles to his lips.
Anya felt as though her heart would stop in that instant as she felt his soft lips press against the tender skin of her hand. She was sure he could feel her erratic pulse through the skin of her hand. She knew that wasn't actually possible, of course, but the paranoid side of her mind remained firm in its assumption of this fact, and so the nagging thought remained as she watched him straighten back up and bid her goodnight before grabbing his briefcase and slipping out of the glass-walled office. A bright grin spread across her face when she saw him get into the elevator, and she let out a little squeal of excitement. Oh…this was going to be fun.
So, consider this drabble part one of two. Yep, that's right! I'm doing a two-parter. Isn't that exciting? *evil laugh* ~Cheylock