ii. office propinquity

Waving away the smoke, Elena crumpled her face into an expression of disgust as she stepped inside the room. Smoke, she thought disdainfully. I'm going to smell like smoke now for the rest of the day.

She ignored the grin and drifting eyes from her red-haired colleague and muttered a greeting as she headed for the coffeepot.

"Right on time," she heard Reno note as she poured the cup, "as usual."

She watched the steaming black liquid flow into her mug and breathed in the familiar scent, the bitter aroma soothing her caffeine addiction almost immediately. Turning around, she noticed Rude silently sitting at the table sipping on a cup. He often came a half an hour early and spent the extra time sleeping in the lounge until one of the other Turks woke him up.

"I'm surprised you're here then. Early too, if I'm right on time."

He was still grinning at her raised eyebrows. Without removing the cigarette from his lips he snorted, the smoke drafting upwards in decayed ribbons.

"The President was on my ass."

The President. At the mentioning of his name, a detailed image of the young man came into her mind. Tall, blonde, with an intimidating stare. White pressed suit, business air about him. Very handsome with his smooth skin and cold blue eyes, eyes that when swept across the room critically and landed on her for a micro-second, everything flew out the window. All the piling reports and papers were gone, the wrinkles and creases smoothed out of her suit, her missions had and done with...but that was only a micro-second, and in the time that would succeed, all her problems would filter back in.

Elena shrugged and walked out of the lobby room, coffee still in hand. The Turks never talked much during the morning, each one commonly exhausted from overworking the previous night. And even if not, Elena wasn't much of a morning person as it were.

She stepped into her office and noticed there were papers already laying on top of her desk. Sighing and skimming over the papers, she smiled at the signature at the bottom.

Rufus Shinra, President of Shinra Electric Company.

When she'd first gotten hired, all the secretaries and other women working here had warned her about him and his charming cold looks. She hadn't thought anything of it until he had called her up to his office to officially meet his new Turk. It hit her like a sack of potatoes.

The first thing she'd thought stepping into that big room at the top was my god he's gorgeous.

She sighed at her daily routine. As her infatuation for her boss grew, her morning grooming had multiplied. Get up an hour before daylight to re-iron her suit, frustratingly slamming the iron on permanent wrinkles, permanent no matter the lengths she'd taken to remove them.
Then first she would shower, but rub sweet-smelling lotion just in case, then add the hairspray and mousse to dry while she made-up. 40 minutes in front of the mirror, she would be barely satisfied looking as a beauty exemplar and then it was time to press the hair. Perfume - the same scent as her lotion of course - no mixing scents, re-paint and shape the nails and finally another re-iron in her underwear.

It was silly, to sit in an office made-up as if going to a ball.

But it made up for it when she passed him in the hall, raising her arm pretending to scratch her neck trying to cover the crease she could never iron from her suit. He'd walk by briskly, not even glancing at her but she'd notice his perfectly white ensemble, slicked back blonde hair with a single lock hanging in the front. Her knees would weaken when she caught a scent of whatever cologne or spray he used and she'd walk back to her office in a daze where she would daydream accidentally until Reno or Rude would toss in another pile of work to be done.

Today was naturally one of those days, and Elena sat at her desk with a pen idly in her hands as she stared out the window engulfed in a delusive fantasy, when she heard the intercom blare.

"Elena, have those reports to me in a half an hour."

When she'd first gotten hired, she remembered subtly changing her watch to the exact second of his, glancing at his phone-held wrist and acting as though she was only restlessly fidgeting. As she had done with previous jobs, showing up ten seconds before the requested time and smiling as the authority nods at his raised wrist.

She had already done the reports last night. Bumbling evidence about the Sector 7 crash and how Shinra had gotten around the fault of it all. She had found the incident a shame, really.

A half an hour later she stepped up to the President's door, the gray sliding automatic entry looming in front of her. She glanced at her watch. A half a minute to compose herself. Breathing in hard, she straightened her suit and cleared her throat. Wait. Wait. 15 seconds. 10.

She knocked and anticipated his answer. Nothing.

"Mr. President?"

Nothing. She frowned and glanced at her watch. 2 seconds. She didn't want to be late, so she stepped inside the door, it opening for her and displaying the top floor of the building.

The young man lay slumped on his desk, head buried in arms, save his right hand holding a signing pen. The pen slack on a forty-five degree angle between his fingers, displaying the relaxed position of the president.

The familiarity of the scene startled Elena, her heart flying to her throat. He didn't croak like his old man, there...? But as she walked closer, shaking, she realized in relief and slight embarrassment that he was only...asleep. Her breath rose and she swallowed hard. She was unsure of what to do; he had called her up here and she needed to talk to him about the reports, but if she woke him would he be angry? He looked awfully cute, laying there like that.

Shyly, she mumbled his name to wake him. But getting no response, the Turk gently reached her shaking arm out and shook his. He immediately reacted, raising his head and straightening himself out. He glanced up at her, the fatigue washing away his usual cold glare and she felt the inside of her stomach collapse on itself as she stared back. God, he's gorgeous. She blushed as his gaze ran up and down her nicely pressed Turk suit.

But, as soon as he realized where he was, Rufus' icy wall shot up and he pulled himself closer to the table. Clearing his throat, still smooth as if nothing had happened, he pointed to the chair in front of him.

Nervousness stumbled her over and she sat down, handing him the papers.

"I-I've written them up, but there seems to be one issue that might n-not go over with the public that well, sir." She swallowed, waiting for his response.

He circled his hand in a gesture for her to continue, "Yes?"

"Apparently the, uh, crash killed a couple members of Avalanche and this is known. The public may question why the group would eliminate their own members - I...wasn't sure how you wanted me to deal with that."

She fidgeted with the buttons on her tunic as she tried not to focus on his captivating azure eyes, or that adorable way he flicked the hair out of his eyes, or that enticing smell that emanated from across the desk...

"Mmm." He mumbled, skimming over the paperwork and nodding. "I'll deal with that issue when they ask. For now, these are fine."

She heard the finality in his voice and knew it was her cue to leave, but she wanted to stay in that office for the rest of her life. Play out her fantasies, kiss him again and again against that huge window overlooking the city, make him want her like she wanted him. She looked over the desk longingly as he pulled out a cigarette and lit up.

Glancing up, he let out a puff of smoke. "You may go now, Elena."

She nodded, unable to choke out any words and turned to leave. As she almost made it to the door, she heard him call her name. Turning around, she saw him staring at her.

"You might want to head out to the Turk's Pub after work. You look a bit overstressed."

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