Erina stretched back on her chair, sighing in relief when she heard joints popping and knuckles cracking. The clock on her desktop screen let her know that she had been filling out reports for nearly two hours without stopping since coming into the office. Her lunch break wouldn't be for another couple of hours, and she needed to get her workload cleared before then.
Her head perked up, turning around to survey the floor. It seemed that everyone was just as neck deep in work, so she didn't make any eye contact with any of her co-workers. The idle chatter that usually filled the floor was missing, instead replaced by keyboard keys clacking, mouse buttons clicking, and phones ringing. She sighed wearily and resumed her work, keeping her eyes glued on the screen. It was a wonder that the screen hadn't deteriorated her eyesight after the countless hours spent in front of her computer.
If I wasn't stuck at some hotshot corporation, I bet I'd be off working somewhere way more interesting than some bland old office.
She always told herself this when the stress of her work was really getting to her. It was a chore to find some spark of interest in typing away a report that was essentially a copy of the last few she had filled out. Of course she was meticulous and took this job seriously, but it was hard to do when her nine-to-fives were just boring old repeats of each other. In a cubicle setting like this one, it was easy to fall into a routine of humdrum mediocrity. Nothing to do, but work. work, work. That's why she always looked forward to her lunch break; that, and she got to enjoy the meals she made for herself.
Time passed in another slow blur of business jargon and replying to clients. Erina was furiously typing away, wanting to finish up already. Before her fingers could fall apart from how quickly she was typing, her wristwatch suddenly began beeping. With a relieved smile she tore herself away from the keyboard and pushed on a small button on her watch to quiet the noise. She pushed herself away from her desk and grabbed her lunch, heading to the snack room to heat up her food.
Usually she'd find herself in the company of her cousin Alice, as well as Hisako from the floor below. Today, however, instead of seeing them at their usual table, she caught someone with an eye catching shock of red hair rummaging through the entire room. Whoever this guy was, he really seemed desperate for a bite to eat. She stood there quietly and watched him open every cupboard and shelf in the room, coming up empty every time. Eventually she had enough and interrupted him with a small cough. The redhead whipped his head around, golden eyes meeting her questioning pink ones.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Didn't realize someone was in here!"
"No need...? Do you need help with something or-"
"No, no! I'm fine, really. I'm just looking for something to eat in here." He resumed his search while Erina sat down at one of the tables.
"There are vending machines, you know." She pointed her thumb at the right side of the room.
"Yeah, that would be nice, except I left my wallet at home."
Is there no satisfying this guy?, she thought irritably. Having no other option, she walked up to the counter that he was currently ransacking and stashed her food in the microwave. As she waited, her patience kept wearing thin with the stranger in the room. He just wouldn't give up! He must have gone through everything at least twice by the time the microwave sounded off. It was also at that time that Alice and Hisako walked in with their food in hand. Their chat came to a stop when they saw Erina getting her food as if there wasn't some weirdo tearing the room apart right next to her.
"Uh, hello?" Alice greeted, getting the guy's attention. He nodded at her in acknowledgement, not once slowing down with his task.
"So, who's the pillager of the break room?" Asked the silver haired woman as they all sat down at one of the tables.
"Don't know." Erina replied, taking a forkful of salad. She swallowed and said, "He was just here when I walked in. Apparently he forgot his lunch and his money."
Hisako stared at Erina, curious. "So you just let him be while you heated your food?" When she received an uninterested nod, she was both surprised by her show of apathy and sorry for the guy at the other end of the room.
"Tsk, tsk. Dear cousin, that is not how you get men to like you." Ignoring the blonde's look of disbelief, she waved over at the redhead. "Hey! If you really can't find anything, we can share with you!"
The effect was instantaneous. First he turned to see if she was talking to him, and then he just about sprinted over to their table. He stopped himself before crashing and sent them all an apologetic smile.
"Heh, thanks. Sorry for the trouble."
"Don't worry about it. Just have a seat!" Alice prompted. She and Hisako gave up portions of their meal to him, but Erina had yet to make a move. An elbow jab from under the table and a persistent gaze from Alice later, Erina was grumbling something under her breath about 'scatterbrained guys' and 'damned freeloaders' while reluctantly sharing some of her food. With a plate full of a mix of everything, the redhead sent them another sheepish grin before thanking them once more.
He hummed in satisfaction, "This is really tasty! I'm glad I forgot my food today!"
"Don't get used to it." Erina muttered through a mouthful. Alice sighed hopelessly at her cousin's behavior and quietly ate.
Hisako broke the silence, "Excuse me for asking, but I've never seen you around the office floors before. What's your position here?"
"Oh, me? I'm one of the building guards. I also help out the tech guys whenever they need a hand."
"Ooh, a guard with tech skills. Impressive!" Alice noted excitedly. "You wouldn't believe all the problems these floors have, especially since half of the people here are stuffy old geezers without any know-how on how to run a computer."
"I agree. I'm actually relieved that we have someone around our age to help out." Hisako added. "It's so hard to get anything done on time when I have someone tapping my shoulder for help every five minutes!"
"That's why they hired me, I guess. Usually, I'm running around the top floors, though. Someone was missing today, so I had to fill in for these floors today." He shrugged, setting his fork down. His plate was practically licked clean, but he seemed pleased enough. "Well girls, thanks again for the food. I'll have to drop by and pay you back some time."
"Already? Well, no problem- Oh! We didn't catch your name." Alice pointed out.
"Souma Yukihira, building guard and part-time food thief." He introduced himself. He waved his hand around in their direction, "Your turn. I need to know who I owe later."
"I'm Hisako Arato. I work with the accounting department of the company." The pink haired woman smiled politely.
"Alice Nakiri. They make me jump between the design and marketing departments. Apparently I have an eye for these things." Now they waited for Alice to introduce herself, but seeing as she had remained quiet and rather irked this whole time, Alice took it upon herself to do it for her. "This grouch right here is my cousin Erina. She's stuck with being the paperweight of the business legal aspect of the company."
"Shut it. Your job isn't so glamorous either." The blonde hissed. She stood up and began packing her things. "In any case, I have to get back. I won't be expecting another repeat of today." That last part was directed at Souma, who raised a brow at her frankness. His eyes trailed her figure as she left the break room.
"Don't worry about her, Souma. She has a really bad attitude problem, but it's not as bad once you really get to know her." Alice assured. Hisako could only send her a critical stare.
The family bond sure goes a long way with these two, she thought. "Ah, take her words lightly, if you will. Alice likes to provoke Erina even though they work at opposite ends of the same floor." Hisako said.
"If you say so. See you two around." The redhead sent them a parting wave and left them to finish their lunch. Once Alice was sure he was out of earshot, she smirked to herself.
"These two could work very well, don't you think so Hisako?"
"Erina with Souma?" The pinkette's eyes widened incredulously. "She'd probably get to you first before that could even happen."
Alice's ruby eyes took on an amused look. "A little office romance never hurt anyone. We need excitement in this boring old building anyways."
Hisako rolled her eyes at the excited woman, "I'm not helping you act like Cupid's advocate. I'm heading back to work."
Erina was making her way down the underground parking lot late into the evening, her short heels clacking and echoing against the concrete walls. She was one of the few remaining people who stayed over at the office floors for overtime, but as the dull throbbing in her head increased, she began to regret making that decision.
She mumbled to herself, "I think a warm bath should help..."
"Mind if I join? Just kidding!" She jumped, startled at the deep voice behind her. She didn't even notice the heavier footsteps coming behind her! She was going to raise her bag to send this would-be stalker a good wallop, but thought better of it when she met the same golden eyes from earlier. (Then again it wouldn't hurt to get some payback after the stunt he pulled earlier.)
"I certainly wouldn't want to share a bath with you! Who exactly do you think you are?"
"I told you already, I'm one of the building security guards! Or at least I was before I punched in for the day." Souma told her. He followed behind as she made her way to her car without so much as looking at him. He whistled long and low in the quiet lot. "Your cousin was right on the money with that attitude."
Although it wasn't meant for her to hear, she stopped in her tracks and glowered up at him. "Don't bother listening to Alice, alright? And I don't have an attitude. I just want to get home and get rid of this annoying headache!"
"Headache? I can help you with that." Souma reached into the backpack he carried and pulled out a small sealed bottle, handing it over to her. He also pulled out a half-full water bottle. She silently accepted them, but inside she was beginning to question if he really was another troublesome guy at the office. "Hmm... Alice told me your car was at spot... 42, was it?"
"She told you what?!"
He dug into his pocket and showed her a bright pink sticky note with a note scrawled down in Alice's distinct, clean handwriting. "She just passed by the surveillance room and dropped it off."
"And being a guard, you weren't suspicious about it?" The blonde interrogated. "I'm beginning to think they hired the wrong guy for your position."
"I'm not a serial killer in disguise if that's what you're worried about."
"I've seen enough crime TV shows to prove otherwise."
"We may have only known each other for less than an hour, but trust me. Besides, I was serious about returning the favor. Just name your price and I'll do my best to pay you back."
They had finally reached her car, although Erina caught herself deep in thought. She glanced at Souma, who was waiting for her with such an intense gaze. It almost made her flustered, actually, knowing that he was willing to do whatever she wished.
"Hmm...I suppose you can make up for the food you took." It came out like a whisper, but Souma heard her loud and clear.
"Great! I'll take you someplace where they serve great food. It's not far from here, actually."
She crossed her arms, "Right now? Isn't it a bit late?"
"Well, if you really want to get ready and look nice, we can always reschedule for- lets say- Friday? It could be a nice after-work date." He teased, leaning in on her. She backed up into the trunk of her car, trying to keep her distance.
Erina raised her voice, "I refuse!"
"Hm?" He straightened himself up again, "I can't just not pay you back. If that's the case, I'll just bring some of my lunch to you tomorrow."
"What? You can't-" But he was already backing away from her and walking off.
"I won't accept take-backs! I'm a man of my word, Erina."
When he was gone behind all the other cars in the parking lot, she unlocked the drivers seat and locked herself in. She started up the ignition, but did not drive off. Instead, she rested her forehead on the wheel.
"That guy..." She uttered. "Why does Alice always get ahead of herself?" She looked at the pills and the bottle she had thrown onto the passenger seat and flushed a bit as she recalled the way he had said her name with such determination. She knew he would stick around as long as she kept up her stubborn streak, making her wonder if it would have been easier to just accept the date.
She could cure her headache in less than ten minutes, but she wouldn't know how to deal with another hiccup in her already unpleasant job. Just thinking about his future lunch time visits made her scramble for the pill bottle.
A/N: How's that for a rushed office AU? And a longer(around 2k words) one at that! Sorry to those who may have been waiting for another chapter to go up! Having a writer's block is never fun, but it gets bad when your methods of getting over it end up being a distraction.
ErinaXSouma: I'll think about it!
I think at this point, it's safe to say that I will end this at the tenth chapter. I'll be honest with you all, I still don't have an actual story in mind to work on after this, but I'm thinking about dabbling in other series/fandoms. Nothing set in stone, though.
Thanks for the reviews as always! See you all(hopefully in less than a week) in the next one!