Ichigo couldn't believe it. His first day on the job and he was running late. He was likely to be fired on the spot, he was only an intern for Christ's sake. So much for a bright career. He'd woken up and immediately felt that creeping sense of dread in his stomach. Sure enough, when he looked at the time it was to find he'd overslept by forty minutes. Now he was running through the streets, attempting to do his tie and shrug on his jacket at the same time. He didn't even eat so it looked like he was going hungry until lunch.
This was not how he'd imagined his first day going. With a relieved sigh, Ichigo ran up the steps of his new workplace and almost fell into an elevator. Leaning back against the cool metal he closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, attempting to fix it so it didn't look like he'd just gotten out of bed, which he had.
"Rough morning?"
Ichigo's eyes snapped open at the teasing comment and for the first time, he noticed he wasn't alone. He'd completely blanked the man standing next to him. How he'd managed this, Ichigo would never know. The stranger had bright blue hair which was hard to miss. Giving himself a mental shake, Ichigo tried to get his head sorted because in thirty seconds he would be stepping out of the elevator. If he couldn't even give the receptionist his name he might as well go home now.
The man was still looking at him curiously and Ichigo realised he was waiting for an answer. "Oh yeah, I overslept. First day as well."
The stranger laughed and Ichigo swallowed thickly. Just his luck, not only was he later on his first day but he'd met a gorgeous stranger in a lift whilst looking like a complete mess. Could his day get any worse?
The elevator doors opened and the man gave him a quick smile. "Good luck." He said and then unbelievably, winked at Ichigo before stepping out.
Ichigo watching him go open-mouthed, was that flirting? This time he ran a hand through his hair more confidently. Apparently, he didn't look that bad.
The elevator still wasn't moving. Ichigo frowned and glanced at the floor number, heart dropping when he saw it was his floor too. "Shit." he cursed before slowly leaving the lift, looking around for his previous companion. He was nowhere in sight thankfully so Ichigo made his way to the front desk.
The woman at the desk didn't notice him at first, she was busy filing her nails, and chewing open-mouthed on some gum. Ichigo winced and swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the loud smacking noises as he stopped in front of her.
"Uh, hi."
She paused, sighing heavily, not trying to hide her irritation. "Yes?" She asked in a falsetto voice, turning towards him.
"My name's Ichigo Kurosaki, I'm supposed to start here today." She looked him up and down, eyes lingering on his messy hair and wonky tie. When she started tapping on the keyboard, Ichigo hurried to fix his appearance.
"Welcome to Las Noches, Ichigo!" She said brightly, standing up to shake his hand.
For the first time, he noticed the tight, grey dress so wore that only just reached her mid-thighs. Her name tag bounced as she jumped up, perched precariously on her large bosom. Ichigo read the name Rangiku Matsumoto quickly and snapped his attention back to face. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was staring at her chest.
"Thanks um, Rangiku." He replied, pasting on his own bright smile and shaking her outstretched hand.
When she let go she motioned for him to follow and they started around the office. As they walked - and she talked - he got the impression she was the woman who knew everything about everyone, down to the colour of their underwear. Ichigo made a mental note not to get on her bad side.
The office setup was simple but effective. Ten offices were situated across two floors. Their floor held one to five, the one above six to ten. Each office was occupied by the head of a division. Las Noches was involved in everything from catering to social services to engineering. You name it, Las Noches would be involved somehow.
Rangiku walked by the first five offices, listing who they belonged to and their specific field of interest. Ichigo already knew he was the new intern for the head of office six, construction and demolishment. He tried to take in what she was saying but the words fell from her lips so fast it was hard to keep up. It was obvious she went through this whole speech a lot. As they started up the stairs she listed off the last five departments, only his specific one registering in his brain.
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." She said, smiling coyly as they stopped outside his office. Ichigo hoped to god this poor fellow knew how to handle Rangiku. "He's the head of your division, you'll be his secretary for the next two weeks. Aren't you a lucky one?"
"Why?" He couldn't help asking. Her tone made it sound like she was envious. Was this Grimmjow attractive? Or was there something about his line of work that was up Rangiku's street so to speak?
"Oh, he's only the most drop-dead gorgeous man you'll ever meet." She replied off the bat, without pausing or seeming embarrassed. "If you're into guys that is, which I'm betting you are."
"What gave it away?" He hadn't even worn his rainbow tie.
"You didn't fixate on my boobs." She replied simply. "You only looked to learn my name, I haven't seen your eyes wonder since then. Most guys, straight ones anyway, would've taken another glance by now."
She spoke again in that no-nonsense tone, despite the fact they were talking about her cleavage. Ichigo would've been embarrassed if he wasn't so surprised. It seemed to show on his face because Rangiku grinned.
"Shy one eh? You're really going to love working with Grimmjow."
He doubted it from the way she spoke. Too late to say anything now though because Rangiku had stopped next to a desk and was looking at him expectantly. As he sidled in behind it she ceremoniously placed a name badge in front of him.
Ichigo Kurosaki, Division Six, Construction and Demolishment.
"Thanks." He said, carefully pinning the tag to his lapel. He knew from experience how much the pins hurt so took his time. When he looked up he was glad the pin was in place because his hand jerked in surprise.
Rangiku had gone, he could see her red hair whipping around the corner of the stairs. In her place stood the blue-haired stranger from the elevator, a smirk on his lips. "Ichigo Kurosaki huh?" He asked, leaning in to read the badge.
As he did, Ichigo could smell his cologne. it smelled familiar, relating to some pleasant, long-forgotten memory. Whatever it was, it was an attractive smell and Ichigo swallowed thickly.
When the man pulled back, Ichigo noted he wasn't wearing a name tag. "Which division are you?" He asked, almost shyly but he was glad his voice didn't waver. "You're not a PA, are you?"
"What gave it away?" Ichigo tapped his name badge and he laughed. "No, I'm not a PA. I was just curious who you were." He promptly sat on Ichigo's desk, looking at him intently. "Tell me something about yourself."
"Won't Mr Jaegerjaques be annoyed if he sees you sat here?" Ichigo asked, more dryly than he'd intended. This man was getting under his skin and Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of him yet. Hell, he didn't even know his name.
The man snorted. "Mr Jaegerjaques can shove it where the sun don't shine." Ouch. No love loss between these two. Suddenly he looked at Ichigo more intently. "What do you think of Grimmjow?"
Trick question maybe? Say Grimmjow's great and get labelled a brown-nose. Slag him off and this man reports him. Ichigo decided to answer honestly and shrugged, thinking about his mysterious new boss.
"He's attractive?" He didn't add he couldn't see how compared to the man sitting at his desk. Again he swallowed thickly, trying to keep himself in check. His first day on the job and he was already attracted to someone, just what he needed. "Rangiku thinks highly of him, poor guy." He added before he could stop himself.
He laughed, much to Ichigo's relief. "Yes, I suppose he is attractive. Also, Rangiku's harmless," He said, rather dismissively as he waved a hand. "Sure she's nice to look at but nothing going on up here." He tapped his head and Ichigo frowned.
"She was nice enough to me." Again that cool edge had crept into his voice. One moment he was starting to like this man and then he'd go and say something that put Ichigo off. He seemed to have noticed because he was now frowning.
"You think I'm a jerk?"
Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know you enough to give you a straight answer. But yes, that was a jerk thing to say."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, so I'm a jerk."
"And arrogant."
He smirked. "And arrogant." Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, you did say that out loud."
Great. Could this day get any worse?
Suddenly the other man stood. "Well, best be starting work, eh? Good luck, Ichigo." He turned to leave and to Ichigo's absolute horror he opened the door directly in front of him. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques' office. "Oh, and I like my coffee with milk and two sugars, every two hours, don't forget."
The door shut behind him and Ichigo sat frozen at his new desk, cheeks burning as he stared at the door in shock.
His day could get worse.