Chapter Text
That clatter of keyboards and other office sounds fills the room as you enter the third floor office from the elevator. The floor is covered in desks and free standing walls, acting like a maze to the specific desk you are trying to make your way to.
‘Two lefts and then a right’ you repeat to yourself, following the instructions the person gave you on the phone only moments ago. Your pumps make little noise on the plush carpet as you make your way to your destination.
“Mr. Kirishima?” You asked, spying the mop of red hair that obviously had way too much gel in it.
“Y/N!” He almost looked like he was weeping as he turned in his chair to face you. “Please save me!”
You sigh as you turn on your friendly “retail voice” and smile before getting to work.
“What seems to be the problem?”
—
You are an ICT specialist working in a large Architectural company. Most days you spend working on maintaining the company's cloud network, improving ICT products and software, as well as callouts to individuals to fix minor technical issues.
Though, as important as the role sounds, the majority of your job is acting as a personal IT assistant. And yes, it is as annoying as all the stereotypes make it out to be.
Most people in the company seem to think that the moment there is a technical issue that can’t be solved within 5 minutes, they need to call IT. A few times you had even caught yourself saying the famous lines of ‘did you turn it off and on again?’
Though… usually that fixed the problem and saved you a trip upstairs.
On the rare occasion there would be a proper issue that required one of your team of three to put your skills to good use and actually use the knowledge you gained from university. But again, that was rare.
For the most part, it seemed every other member of the company thought their issue was catastrophic and that if it wasn’t solved immediately then all their work that they had ever done would be lost. So, instead of having an argument on the phone, it was just easier to pick yourself up and make the trip upstairs to see what was wrong.
—
“What?! It was just his password?! Why didn’t you tell him to fucking fix it himself!” Bakugo Katsuki yelled from his desk, his usual angry voice now feeling completely normal to you. When you first started working together, his attitude scared you, almost to the point where you considered swapping jobs.
Unfortunately, it still scared the other member of your tech team, Amajiki Tamaki. A sweet man with a soft heart who got down about almost everything. You had learned to get used to that, too, and that sitting with him through a ‘down moment’ wasted more time than just letting him work through it himself.
“You know I couldn’t do that Katsuki.” You replied, sitting down at your desk and getting back to the task at hand before you were called upstairs again.
“Pfft! If these losers would just fucking think for a moment then they could figure it out and we wouldn’t have to help so much.” He complained again, eyes shooting daggers at the computer in front of him.
“But then…” a quiet Amajiki spoke up, “We might not have a job.”
An awkward silence washed over you three as you contemplated that statement.
“Yeah, even so!” Katsuki yelled after the silence got too much for him. “Fucking idiots.” Came a grumble.
You smiled to yourself, enjoying the usual banter you three had.
“I don’t know. I don’t mind helping people.” You said, letting your heels slip off your feet under your desk.
“That’s because you’re too nice, Miss Y/N.” Amajiki answered.
Before you could respond, Katsuki barked out a laugh. “Yeah right! We both know it’s a facade. Haven't you seen the way she sighs when the phone rings?”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t like helping people. It just means…. that I can’t be bothered walking up there.”
Amajiki nodded while Katsuki let out a long “Sureeee.” The blond man then got up and walked off to the adjoining kitchen you three shared.
The office itself was located on the first level of the building, joined by the front desk for the company, a few conference rooms, and a large function room where company-wide meetings would be held. It made it easy for you to get to your desk every day, but it did mean you had to become very acquainted with the elevator whenever you were called out to other floors. Not that you mind. The building was large and had a great view of the rest of Tokyo when you were high up enough.
The company owned the whole building, with the boss man on the highest level. The hierarchy trickled down from there, with the bottom floors leading to basements and carparks. At least from your floor you had a nice view of a local park across from the building.
RING RING
The office phones chimed and all three of you quickly stuck a finger on your nose, the slowest one having to answer the phone. As usual it was you, as you hadn’t gotten as used to the game as the other two had. You joined the team a few months ago and while you found your feet easily enough when it came to work-related duties, you’re still a bit slow with the little social routines.
After the next ring you picked up the phone and turned on the charm.
“IT department, Y/N speaking.”
There was a pause on the other line, something that had become a bit too common since you started. Anyone who called were surprised to hear a female voice on the other end.
“Umm yes… I umm… I need a bit of help. My computer is frozen.”
Another female voice. That made you relax a little bit. Not that helping out the men was bad, but it was refreshing to hear another voice similar to yours in such a company. The ratio of men to women/non-binary people was 5:1, so you ended up talking with men most of the day.
“I will come up and help. What is your name and what floor are you on?” You took out a notepad to quickly scribble down the response.
“Uraraka Ochaco, floor 3. My desk is right near the elevator.” She sounded relieved.
“Right. I’ll be up soon.” You hung up the phone, slipped your pumps back on and rose from your desk.
“That was a quick call.” Said Amajiki, knowing that you all usually tried to solve the issue over the phone before getting up to go help in person.
“Uhh yeah..” you replied. “I wanted to stretch my legs.”
“Bullshit.” Called Katsuki, having now swapped to using his phone instead of his computer.
You responded by sticking your tongue out at him and running off before he threw something at you. You could still hear him laughing as you left the office and made your way down the hall to the elevators.
You liked both of your coworkers pretty well, but you also wanted to make connections with others in the company, too. Your Dad had always said that getting a job was about who you know, not what you could do, and with every year you were in the work force you saw there was more truth to those words. So, you made it a habit to be very polite to the staff here and make yourself known. Who knows, it might come in handy down the road when promotions are discussed, or if you want to move around the company.
The elevator dinged for floor 3 and you stepped out into the familiar busy office space. As instructed you easily found Uraraka’s desk, which was even closer to the elevator than expected. From the spacing of the desks, it looked like it was getting a bit cramped up here.
“Hi Miss Uraraka. I am Y/N from the IT department.”
Said woman’s eyes lit up as she saw you. “Oh! Nice to meet you Miss Y/N.” She shook your hand while moving off her seat to give you room.
“As I said on the phone, the screen just suddenly froze.”
“Right, let me have a look…” you took her seat and started to work, focused on the screen in front of you.
The clicking of keys matched the others in the room as you checked out the computer. Sure enough, it was frozen like she said.
“Have you saved everything you were working on recently?” You asked.
Uraraka’s eyes went up and to the right as she thought it out. “I think so… at least, not too long ago.” She smiled sheepishly. “Why?”
“I will need to reset the computer so I can see what is wrong.” You paused before doing so, giving her a moment to think it over before you did. However, she just nodded.
“If you say so! You’re the expert.”
Ah, so nice! You smiled to yourself at the refreshing show of respect for your craft.
You rebooted the computer and accessed the local files to see what was wrong. Uraraka watched patiently beside you as you worked. You were used to them watching you, though you didn’t mind when they walked away either. Some people asked a hundred questions, and some remained completely silent. Everyone was different.
“I see… your hard drive is full.”
“Oh….” you could visibly see the gears turning in her head as she processed what that meant.
“It means you need to clear some files or it will crash again when you go to save your projects.”
“Oh okay!” She said with some surprise. Then there was another pause.
“...Do you want me to show you how to do that?” You asked with a smile, and she physically relaxed.
“Yes! Thank you Miss Y/N! I am so hopeless with this.”
You spent another 45 minutes explaining the saving process for the local cloud, and how she could stop this from happening again in the future. As well as this, you made small conversation about when you joined the company and people you had both worked with. By the time you were done you didn’t really want to leave, but you knew you still had your own work to be done.
“Call the office any time if you need help!”
“I will!” She beamed up at you. “Thank you again!”
You waved as you entered the elevator, happy with your efforts once again. You were glad you were somewhat a people person as it made this job much easier to do. Who knew all those years slaving away in retail would provide such important people skills?
When you entered the office both Amajiki and Katsuki were gone. They must both be out on call, which was something of a rarity these days. The more you worked and helped others, the more you specifically were requested to help. That could be because the alternative was an angry blond who would yell at you while fixing the problem, or a quiet man who wouldn’t speak and would make you feel so awkward you had to walk away.
That’s how they were seen by others, but you saw them differently now. Katsuki was passionate, and Amajiki was considerate. They both had their strengths and weaknesses just as you did. Your little team was good, and you liked that it was only getting stronger by the day.
Stepping into your shared kitchen space you made yourself another coffee for the day. While helping people was nice, it did tire you out. A coffee addiction was quickly becoming a problem, as Katsuki had pointed (yelled) out as he watched you go to get a refill after almost every journey upstairs. You knew he was just concerned for you, as he ‘refused to drink that crap’ and opted for tea instead. Amajiki would then sneak a coffee onto your desk most mornings so you didn’t get into trouble all the time. His own coffee addiction had gone unnoticed by the blond and you both knew that if he caught it, Amajiki would get the yelling of a lifetime.
So in these moments when they were both out, you savoured the peace and took your time.
Going back to your desk you cleared away some of the papers and gadgets that had gathered. Alongside this were various figurines from shows you liked, decorating the edges of your workspace. Amajiki had also decorated his desk like this, too, but even more so. His collection spanded up into the shelves behind him, alongside all the spare computers and accessories that belonged to the company. It showed he had been here the longest of you three.
Your screen lit up in front of you with another company-wide email. In a month would be the annual international conference, with a member from each department needing to attend. You all hadn’t decided who was going, but you knew in the end it would be you. It really should be Amajiki, as he had the most experience, but the thought of being around so many people caused him to go into a panic spiral that lasted over two days.
Katsuki was the next best option… but he had proven over and over that he had no filter to his words and if anything went wrong he might put the company into a negative light. He didn’t agree to this, but you could tell that each day that got closer he was less inclined to the idea of going.
Another email dinged on the screen, directed to the shared ICT department email. This one was from someone on the higher levels of the building. You hadn’t met them before, but you had heard their name.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: send someone up.
...
Cheers,
Takami Keigo
Leading draftsman
My Hero Architecture
You sighed as you read the email, the disrespect obvious in the way the message was given in the subject line and only a default signature was added in the main body. You honestly believed that everyone in every company should have a mandatory ‘how to write an email that doesn’t make me look like a jackass’ course. It wasn’t hard to be polite either! A simple ‘Hi ICT department, can you please send someone to my office, I am having computer trouble. Kind regards etc.’ would be easy. But alas, some people felt their time was more important than basic pleasantries.
You consider leaving the email for one of the others to attend to, as punishment for writing such a horrid message, but they were both out and you didn’t know when they would be back. Plus, the part of you that wanted to be ‘good at your job’ and ‘well-liked by everyone you ever met’ was yelling at you to go help.
Damn it... you hated those parts of you. It made you deal with a lot of bullshit you really shouldn’t have to. Maybe you should be more like Katsuki! Strong-willed and not afraid to say what’s on his mind!
…. Then again… maybe not, considering some of the situations he’s gotten himself into with HR.
—
You knock on the door to Takami Keigo’s office. It is located in a more isolated area of the upper levels. There was a lot more space up here in the Draftman’s level, the poor accountants and workers down below needing to be squished together, while people up here had the luxury of space. It seemed a bit wrong if anyone asked you. Then again, without the architects there wouldn’t be much of a company. They were the artists to which you were all the supporters.
“Come in.” Said a voice that pulled you from your thoughts.
You enter the office to see a spacious room filled with different work areas. They each had their own projects going on, mass sheets of paper taking up most of the surfaces as well as various stationary. It was like they were separated by different company projects, each one getting its own level of commitment and care. To the right was a seating area, at the back was a large window that overlooked the city scape, and in the middle was the main desk with a very expensive-looking leather office chair behind it where Takami Keigo normally sat.
Instead, said man was on the phone, eyes looking out the window as he paced while responding to whomever was on the other side. At the sound of the door closing, he turned to see you. Before you could say anything, you saw his eyes roll as he made his way back over to his desk, conversation going uninterrupted.
He leaned over, writing something on a note pad before he locked eyes with you and tapped the pad. His yellow ones stared into your own and you were momentarily distracted by how gorgeous he was. His blond hair was swept back in an almost effortless look. A defined jawline with slight stubble only added to his good looks. He wore a perfectly fitting shirt and slacks that you were sure were custom tailored to fit and show off his body even more. All of this was even more accentuated by his rugged and handsome voice as he spoke on the phone.
You were lost in his looks as you walked over… but then you saw what was written on the pad.
‘Large black coffee, two sugars.’
You stared at the writing, mind going static as you thought about why the fuck he would write that.
Then you realise… he thought you were an assistant.
You looked up at him and he was not paying any attention to you, eyes back to looking out the window as he continued to talk on the phone. Flipping the pad over to a new page, you took the pen from his desk and wrote down your own note. Once done, you caught his attention and tapped the pad.
‘I am miss Y/N from the ICT department. How can I help you?’
His eyes went wide as he read your message before a small disbelieving smile took over.
“I’ll have to call you back.” He said to whoever was on the other side of the line. He exchanged a final pleasantry before hanging up.
“So… you’re from the ICT department.” He said it like you might be lying.
“Yes I am. What was the issue that you emailed about?” Your tone was formal and polite. Nothing like his email from before.
He stared at you for a moment longer than you liked, eyes raking over your body before meeting back up at your face. He let out a small laugh, shaking his head as everything caught up to him.
“Not who I was expecting. Usually it’s the loud one or the quiet one.”
“Yes, well, there is also me now. What did you need?” Your voice was short, the ‘retail’ facade slowly crumbling with each second. You hated moments like this.
“Right.” He sighed as he returned to his chair, crossing a leg over the other. “Computer is broken. Don’t know why.”
‘That was a lot of information…’ you thought sarcastically. You circled around the desk, bending a little to look at the screen in front of you, only slightly annoyed that you couldn’t sit down.
“Okay….?” You left the unsaid question lingering in the air, but when you looked over at the man he was scrolling through something on his phone, obviously tapped out of any conversation with you.
With a slight huff you start to investigate the issue. The icon for the folders menu was jumping up and down. When you clicked it, it came up to ask for the password to access the company server.
“You need to input your password to access the server.”
Golden eyes stared up at you over the top of a phone, his cheek leaning on his other hand propped on the desk.
“Tried that. Didn't work.”
You frowned as you stepped back from the keyboard.
“Can you try again please.”
The look you got felt like a conversation in itself. Like this whole thing was below his time and that he had obviously tried everything before you got here. But you had a process and you learnt over time you needed to follow it, even if the other person insisted they had done it already.
Takami rolled forward on his chair and quickly input his password. The screen blinked back an error message. Password incorrect.
Takami gestured to the screen with a ‘told you so’ action. He moved back in his chair before pulling his phone up again.
Feeling irritation bubbling in your system, you tried to keep it at bay as you decided you just needed to solve this ASAP and leave.
Using your knowledge of the companies systems alongside your own IT experience, you located the issue and saw that the server had over 20 access attempts, causing it to give a permanent ‘lock out’ until an administrator came and accepted the request.
“You tried the password a few times huh…” you more or less said to yourself, but when you looked over you saw intense eyes staring at you, watching you. How long had he been staring? You got so involved in solving the issue that the rest of the world had faded out. The look made you feel self-conscious and you turned back to the screen.
Bringing up another menu, you opened up a password change and stepped back. “Can you please create a new password before I give you access to the server?”
Without a word, Takami clicked across the keyboard once again before another error came up.
‘Please use a new password.’
“You need to-“ Suddenly, your words were interrupted by the sound of Takami letting out a laugh. He leaned back in his chair and continued to chuckle to himself.
“Oh that’s right! I changed my password last week. My bad.” He grinned up at you and you were so taken aback you couldn’t even be mad at how much time you just wasted. It was such a change from his stoic demeanor that you had no response.
New password entered, you then were able to unlock the server and Takami was given access once again.
“Thanks for that, Kiddo.” He said with a smirk, taking over the computer and already navigating to the files he was originally looking for.
“That’s..” the nickname threw you off a little. “That’s fine. Maybe write it down just in case you forget again.”
“I won’t. Give Blasty and Shy guy my regards.” And with that his attention was completely off of you and solely on his work.
You stood there for a moment before your brain finally sent signals to your legs to walk away. Once you were beyond the door to his office, you took a deep breath.
That wasn’t the worst interaction you had faced, but somehow it left a bitter taste in your mouth. Maybe it was the way he seemed to be both completely disinterested in you, but also couldn’t take his eyes off you. It was… strange. By the time you got back down to your own office, the feeling had somewhat subsided. You put the interaction behind you as you worked on some final tasks for the day.
—
“Good morning…” uttered Amajiki, taking a seat at his desk after placing a fresh coffee on your own.
“Morning~!” You singsonged back. You took a sip of the coffee and let out a pleased hum. You wouldn’t say you weren’t a morning person, but you certainly needed a warm cup of coffee to really feel like yourself. The warm liquid hit the spot instantly, making you feel even more joyous this Friday morning.
Last night was good. You went home at a reasonable time, got take out, and were able to catch a new episode of your current favourite show. Granted your ‘favourite’ seemed to change every week, but it still put you in a good mood. You even found the nice tight-fitting skirt you thought you lost! Turns out it was… in the wash. Even so! It made you feel fashionable and comfortable for the work day.
Your good mood wasn’t even diminished when Katsuki showed up to work, very grumpy and ready to yell at anyone who so much as looked in his general direction. He had lost his wallet, causing him to be late and overall in a terrible mood.
You and Amajiki had learned ways to work around this, happily going on errands or call outs to give the blond some space to cool off.
By the time it was afternoon, you had done a fair amount of work in and out of your office. Your feet were a little sore from how much walking you had done, but it beat getting the brunt of the blond’s bad mood. You got up from your desk to make an afternoon coffee when you heard Amajiki call you back into the main room.
“What’s up?”
“Umm… we have another call out to one of the architects upstairs.”
Your eyes quickly went to your watch. After 3pm on a Friday? Someone must be a little desperate to not just leave it till Monday.
“That sucks. I hope it doesn’t take you too long.” You said with a soft smile before you went to turn back to the kitchenette, but again, Amajiki spoke up, making you stop in your tracks.
“It says in the email to ‘Send the new kid’…”
You blinked in confusion a few times before the gears in your head clicked together. Oh no.
You tried very hard to keep the annoyance out of your voice. “Is the request from Takami Keigo?”
“It is. How did you know?”
Running fingers through your hair, you couldn’t hold back the sigh this time. “Because I am not Shy Guy or Blasty.”
Amajiki flushed a little red at your words. He had obviously heard the nickname before. You thought it could be cute if it didn’t come from someone so… off-putting.
“I’ll be back~!” You called, your fake cheery voice already switched on as you headed back up to the level that held Takami Keigo’s office.
“Come in.” He called and you opened the door to the familiar sight of his office. Except this time he was looking at his phone instead of talking on it. When you entered you were met with a pleased grin.
“Hey Kiddo. Long time no see.”
You cocked your head to the side in confusion, as you had met and seen each other yesterday.
You looked past it as you donned your retail persona. “Hi there Mr Takami. What can I do for you today?”
“All business.” He said before rolling away from his computer. “Same old thing. Computer is busted.”
You realised you would have to investigate on your own again. At least you were more prepared this time.
Holding the mouse and moving it around showed nothing but a black screen. You tried a few more times before turning the monitor on and off again. Still nothing. You saw the computer under the desk and pressed the on button, but again … nothing.
“Has it worked at all today Mr Takami?” You looked over and were met with that intense stare once again, only this time he didn’t go back to his phone.
“Was perfectly fine 10 minutes ago.”
You frowned a little. That didn’t seem like a simple fix. No wonder he asked for someone so late instead of just waiting like everyone else does.
Bending down on your knees, you began to climb under the desk to investigate further. To your disbelief, you saw that the power cable for the computer had come out of the socket. It only took you a moment of fiddling to fix it.
“You know…” Takami spoke, “that skirt looks good on you. It’s nice and…. tight.”
You flushed a little at his words, realising that you basically had your ass up and in good view for him to see. Any normal person would be polite and not look, let alone comment! If only you hadn’t worn this skirt today.
It was too late in the week and the day for you to deal with this right now. You went and checked the computer, this time the screen turned on and booted the system.
“Yes well… I know that.” You replied as-a-matter-of-factly, getting up on slightly shaky feet. You really wish you had had that coffee.
He laughed a little at your response. “How is someone like you working in IT? Seems a bit strange to me.” His tone was all suave, but all it did was piss you off even more.
“I do not see how it is strange. Anyone can work there if they are qualified.”
“I suppose so, however,” he stood up, raising to his full height and stepping closer to you. He leaned over, invading your personal space. “Seems like what you’re wearing is way too sexy for a place like that. Its wasted on those two.”
His voice had dropped an octave, causing you to blush at the way it made your skin shiver with delight. But not even the sultry tone of his voice could distract you from the underlying insult in his words.
“If you have an issue with my attire, Mr Tamaki, you can take it up with HR.” You stood your ground, glaring up at him.
But your glare and words were met with a condescendingly pleased laugh.
“Oh, on the contrary. I have no issues with it whatsoever.”
This was going nowhere. A deep part of you was yelling to stand up for yourself, but your commitment to work as well as your want to get out on time won over and you stepped back, creating space.
“Your computer is fixed now. Do you need anything else ICT-related, Mr Takami?”
He paused for a moment, considering your words before giving you a pleasant smile. “Nothing at all, Kiddo.”
You bit your cheek to stop yourself from snapping before turning around and walking out of his office. Though before you opened the door, you said one last thing.
“By the way, my name is Y/N. In case you forgot.”
“I didn’t forget. See you Monday, Kid.”
You left the office before you could yell. With any luck, you wouldn’t be seeing him anytime soon.
—
The weekend was filled with a usual routine of rest and relaxation from the work week. You used Saturday morning to sleep in, catching up on any missed sleep from staying late or accidentally bingeing a new series too late in the night.
The annoyances from your job washed away as you enjoyed a long and over-the-top bath. The water was a glittery pastel purple that smelt like lavender and vanilla. Candles decorated the room, creating a relaxing atmosphere alongside a glass of wine and your tablet positioned so you could watch a movie while bathing.
You were so relaxed that you didn’t even think of a certain blond-haired man whose voice was so sultry it made you flush red from head-to-toe. No, you definitely did not think that his words, while very alluring, were completely inappropriate and insulting in a workplace. No, no, not at all….
Normally, you were not one to take matters like that lightly. In previous jobs, if a colleague had made comments like that you would have marched straight to HR and had it sorted. You remember a time when a male coworker had asked you, with no significant context, if you wore bikinis when swimming. The whole table had been stunned, and it didn’t take you long to see the manager about it.
So, why did you not do anything about it this time?
Frankly, you were tired. The comments weren’t that bad and it was a different situation to any previous ones. You didn’t really work together, you didn’t have to see him every day and really…. your skirt did look good that day.
You slumped more into the water, keeping your almost-empty glass up as you sighed to yourself.
All that wasn’t true.. really, you were scared. Scared to rock the boat. Scared to cause an issue with someone much more important to the company than you. Because in those previous times, even though everyone was proud of you for talking, you ended up leaving in the end. You were never kicked out, per se, but the management’s attitude towards you was enough to send you packing.
Another long sigh left your lips as you sank even further into the glittery water.
—
Another Monday morning of keyboards clacking, squeaky desk chair wheels and phones ringing filled your ears as you stepped off the elevator. This time, however, you held two coffees: one for Mr. Takami and another one that had ‘Kiddo’ written on it.
The frown on your face couldn’t be more obviously vicious. You were furious. Here you were thinking you could start the week better then the last ended but oh no… Mr Tamaki was obviously determined to make you pissed off today and it wasn’t even past 9am.
When you entered your office this morning you were greeted with the very worried face of your coworker Amajiki. Normally this wouldn’t bother you that much, however, the fact that Bakugo was also strangely silent caused immediate alarm in your mind.
Both of their eyes went from you to your desk, and you saw two take away coffee cups sitting there with a note.
‘Bring this up when you get in sweetheart - <3’