Chapter Text
With a soft click and a yawn, you press the button on the company coffee machine.
It’s the early hours of a Monday morning, your first real day on the job as the head of quality control. Most other employees wouldn’t show up for a few more minutes, which meant it was the perfect time to get your steamy bean beverage undisturbed.
It’s exciting, yet scary, you think as the machine hums and buzzes. Your previous job had grown stale, boring even. You learned plenty, yet could never shake the feeling you wanted to do something more impactful, and it just so happened one of the biggest toy companies around needed a new lead.
At least here, you were contributing to something that put smiles on people’s faces, you tell yourself while the room slowly fills with the comforting bitter aroma of coffee as the machine hummingly spews it into the disgustingly colorful company mug you had just placed beneath it.
“Good morning!~”
Your body jolts ever so briefly at the sudden cheerful greeting that sounded behind you.
Turning around, you see a woman, smiling warmly as her hand gestures to you with a kind wave.
“You must be [Y/N]!” She exclaims, maintaining a bubbly demeanor as she speaks. “My name is Stella, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”
“..Likewise!” You respond, attempting to somewhat match her energy as you do, but merely managing to form half the smile she was displaying amidst your stiff, nervous posture.
Stella, or as she’s referred to professionally, Miss Greyber, is the head of the Playcare orphanage. At least that’s what they told you during your brief introduction to the company.
“A new head of quality, ha! How exciting!” Stella continues, giggling between her sentences. “Have you been given a proper tour yet sweetheart?”
“O-Oh!” You stammer, awkwardly reaching for your mug while maintaining eye contact as you think of what to say- “I haven’t, but I actually should-”
“Well that won’t do!” Stella interrupts, giggling once more before reaching for the hand that’s still free, in contrast to the one holding the steaming coffee mug. Before you get the opportunity to protest, she gently pulls you forward into the hallway.
The interior is neatly decorated, complete with colorful wall paintings in between doors and signs that look like ones you might see in a children’s theme park. Cleanly, shiny, light colored surfaces reflect the white, bright office lights that litter the ceiling, accompanied by a soft hum you can just barely hear under the sound of your echoing footsteps. For a toy company you surprisingly found the interior more so resembling that of a hospital than an office.
“Here’s where we usually have our meetings!” Stella explains, pointing at several different doors as she walks. Many of the things she’s saying completely fly over your half asleep head, which is partially occupied trying to keep your coffee from spilling.
You have already seen most of this particular area, yet don’t have the guts to break Stella’s excited trance as she rambles at you. It doesn’t seem like she gets to do this often.
A turn left. Then right, then left again.
Suddenly you find yourself and her standing in front of a large elevator door, the company logo proudly displayed on the front oddly intimidatingly despite the playful colors used.
You glance over at her with poorly hidden confusion, watching as she takes her keycard in silence. Her smile is much more muted now, eyes fixated on the scanner next to the button to call the suspended machinery.
Is she taking you to see Playcare? Surely, you think. After all, what else would be there for her to show you on the lower lev-
Your thought is interrupted by a sudden digital, high pitched bleeping sound.
Frozen in surprise, you and Stella watch as the heavy doors of the elevator separate, sliding open with the sound of grating metal to reveal an unfamiliar man dressed in a white lab coat standing inside, staring right at the both of you. He is slightly hunched over, his hands pressed together on his back.
His expression seems unmoved, completely unaffected at the sight of you, except for the very subtle shift in his eyes as his gaze moves between you and your coworker. The almost intimidating silence betraying any playful atmosphere the decor had created.
“Stella.” The man greets, his voice cold and direct, lacking any crumb of genuine respect for the woman in front of him.
“Doctor Sawyer!” Stella responds, her cheerful tone now tainted with a hint of discomfort and nervousness.
As the two exchange a greeting, your gaze slowly drifts to the buttons inside the elevator. There’s quite a few, way more than you would have expected.
The doctor’s gaze follows yours.
“..And you must be the new hire.”
Despite the calmness of his voice, you feel a brief shiver like you were caught doing something forbidden as you quickly shift your stare back at the man. “Uhm- Yes!”
You extend a hand forward.
“I’m [Y/N], pleasure to meet you!”
The doctor silently stares at your flattened, extended hand, then back at your face.
“Doctor Harley Sawyer.”
..Awkward.
Reluctantly, you lower your hand, accompanied by a forced chuckle in an attempt to relieve the building tension.
It’s an odd sight, you think. A man in a lab coat wasn’t something anyone would expect at a toy factory after all. Maybe the orphanage had an in-house hospital…?
“You weren’t about to bring the new hire down in the elevator, were you?” The Doctor asks in what oddly sounds like a poorly disguised threat, now facing Stella. His expression shows an ever so slight shift as his eyes squint at her suspiciously.
“A-Ah well!” Stella starts, her hands fidgeting nervously as her gaze skitters across the room. “I figured It’d be good if they saw the orphanage at least once! After all it’s such a big part of our-”
“You know very well they lack the sufficient permissions to go down.”
Somehow, his words seemed to grow colder and sterner by the second.
“You wouldn’t want to cause another-”
“Ah! There you are.”
Harley’s words are interrupted by the sound of a much louder, deeper voice down the hall behind you.
Almost in sync, both you and Stella turn around to see the source.
Your gaze falls upon a tall figure in a suit and brightly colored tie, his back straightened firmly in complete contrast to Harley’s lanky posture. As if his overall appearance of obvious authority isn’t already intimidating, the look of unrestrained anger on his face certainly is.
“Do you have any idea how much of my time you have wasted?” The man hisses, walking towards the three of you with a serious lack of patience in his echoing steps.
“Ah! Leith!”
Stella, folding her hand together, steps in front of you without hesitation, almost as if to shield you from something.
“I was just showing our new hire around, seeing how it’s their first day and all-”
“Well. Our new hire here was supposed to meet me at my office ten whole minutes ago.” Leith interrupts, clearly incredibly annoyed, now firmly crossing his arms, standing at a height that makes him loom over both of you.
Uh oh.
“Oh don’t blame them, I was dragging them along, they were probably just too polite for their own good haha~!”
Unlike earlier, you are now extremely glad Stella is here with you. Something tells you that if she wasn’t, this would have been your shortest employment of all time.
“Politeness doesn’t bring in profits, Miss Greyber. In fact it’s doing the contrary in this case. Time is money. Especially mine.”
Leith sighs and groans, his shoulders relaxing and lowering ever so slightly as he does.
“You’re lucky I’m too busy to file any termination documents.” He mumbles. “Miss Greyber, Sawyer, get back to work.” He commands, giving a single nod in their direction. “Newbie, follow me.”
Before you even get the chance to answer in any capacity, Leith turns around, walking back in the direction he just came from. You quickly wave at Stella and Harley, faintly hearing the latter click his tongue in annoyance while you do. You hastily follow behind your new boss, lukewarm coffee mug in hand.
That’s certainly one way to start the week.