Word Count: 2066
"This coffee tastes like shit."
Harry distastefully remarks at two in the afternoon, only one sip in to drinking the coffee that's set before him, eyes not having to leave his screen.
Liked his coffee in either two ways; one would be a dark roast that's pure and bitter, while the other's decaf with some cream and sugar in it. His preference for his choice of beverage from time-to-time changes without notice, yet you, his personal assistant, has without fail have not disappointed him in this dilemma with the guesses you make:
What he just took a sip of, was iced mocha; chocolate. Iced coffee that has majority of it as chocolate.
And no, Harry clearly did not want that.
He's alreay eaten his lunch yet a little take-out serving of lasagna didn't do him good, because for one, there was too much sauce compared to the pasta that its made the container soggy. Clearly thought that the coffee he's asked for would be his saving grace.
Because he's a great CEO who's very hands-on and focused on his work, he's of course forgot his glasses that made his eyes properly strained and it's only halfway through the day.
It was very compelling for him to vent, since the thing he's looking at is disappointing too; an email regarding the cancellation and withdrawal of a company from a collaboration that not only would boost his company, but also the others involved.
Was about to keep his cool, yet there just had to be a cherry on top in the form of a mocha drink.
"You had one fucking-..."
Harry halts immediately once a now-known fact sinks in him, eyes widened with realization and shock that it further terrifies the other party.
"Y-you're not Y/N?"
Was indeed not you because he's met with someone who he recognizes from the front desk - one who doesn't have gentle hands and a loving stance.
Before the guilt sinks in on him that he's ready at any moment to lash out on someone, even on you before he knew, there's something in the air and his veins that makes him question, an unsteady chill present at the back of his neck.
"Where's Y/N?"
Nicole, the one who sits at front desk, blinks her eyes at this trying to process the information at hand. She should know, because everyone passes through her and -
"Was here awhile ago, right?"
Harry asks rhetorically for a second and he does remember that you were here; having remembered that you complimented him on his brogues and how you were a little glum.
Nicole tries to connect the dots, recalling every vague outline of the people she's been seeing come in and out and something sparks, yet it was more of a dull blink to his eyes.
"Y/N hasn't come back in from lunch break."
Harry feels a sudden weight on him.
With great urgency and a meek "thanks" does he get his employee out of his office that's massive, yet feels like it's compressing him intensely.
Was borderline sensory overload because not only was the faint imagined sound of the X-Files intro playing in his mind, but also the low chatter outside his office yet on his floor is invading his senses.
Needs a proper breather which is why he stops looking at the screen looking for misinterpretation and descrepancies and leans his head on his hand and crouches, a deep inhale and exhale not doing anything to him.
First, oftenly do you pack your lunch and also eat it. Hell, sometimes do you pack his lunch as well and the tupperware it's in would be licked clean. Only seldom does he see you eat out because you reason that eating take-outs and dining in every work day would be too costly for you.
Second, you would've told him if you were gonna come back from break late, and maybe not at all. Not that he forces you to and that it was your obligation, but the thing it holds was something mutual.
Something mutual in the sense that he'd tell you suddenly that he's spoken to his mum after their little tiff of him not coming home for the holidays, and you telling him on how you sometimes couldn't bear the thought of people being rude to you for no particular reason besides the fact that you're his assistant - and you've also particularly done nothing wrong.
It was concern in the way that it was more than merely looking out for each other. Sure, there were things that the both of you couldn't agree on yet there are things that do help the issue become resolved.
In one particular incident, Harry made the mistake of not granting you to leave early during those days he wasn't really fond nor warm to you then. Didn't bat a single eyelash with you hunched on your desk extremely hot and shivering, and may have proceeded to tell you to "drop off the act, dear - not as effective as you think".
You may have cussed him under your breath yet you still stayed against your will and he may have had a power trip at that, assigning you another piece of paperwork or two for spite.
He may have worried and regretted it the next day, when you don't come to work.
Didn't file for a leave of absence so maybe he was a bit irritated at that, irritated in the sense that it's gotten Niall (his COO and as far as he knew, your somehow friend) to come to your place and convince you to go to work because the hours are all crammed and busy - only to know that you're only a couple of platelets to drop away from being confined to a hospital.
Was so pressed with him that when you came back, you ignored him and his constant pestering to beckon you over - considering that you're his P.A. and that there wasn't really any conversation in between the two of you regarding anything outside of work.
Harry was so guilty that it took him a week to make it up to you.
Considered the both of you as a proper team and how any other assistant before you couldn't quite compare. Been more work and progress done with you by his side, and naturally more work makes him want to groan yet in the same time feel more accomplished.
No "I" in team, however, so Harry may or may not be losing his shit at the moment.
Has he said something rude to you? Was he insensitive this time? Did he make you feel bad, either knowingly or unknowingly?
All these thoughts rush through his mind and he doesn't know on which to focus and expand on because everything had a possibility to them happening.
Considering he's a bit stand-offish and a bit arrogant and maybe a few points higher than the attainable sternness he's trying to achieve.
Considering that he's made some enemies and -
No, no. Harry doesn't want to delve into that. Coffee and negative thoughts don't make up a good Harry. Coffee and negative thoughts concerning you make up the worst Harry.
The thought of someone he looks to as someone special not getting what they deserve, undeniably sets a chill to his whole body. Makes his skin crawl and his eyes darken because you really don't deserve anything short of the best.
It makes him become so jumpy and nervous that the work he's doing now is him constantly ringing your phone and making his driver look around in places he thinks you'd be in, frown set deeply to his face as he hears another prompt that your phone cannot be reached.
So close to calling every friend and family you have who he knows of but he doesn't want to make the panic settle in their bones in the same way it settles into his, something about the situation making him rattled and frustrated.
Harry's already shed a few tears from this jumble that he feels in his heart, his employees on his floor having left already that the loneliness doesn't matter anymore because he already feels alone without you.
His knee was bouncing up and down rapidly while his fingers drummed his table in anxiousness, so nervous and so emotional that he's not certain of what's happening anymore.
"Niall told me you're hysterical and I came as soon as I could - hey, hey... w-why are you crying?"
Harry now finds himself completely engulfing himself to your figure, taking the initiative to wrap his arms around you tightly with his head buried to your chest immensely. He was an absolute mess by then when you suddenly enter his office and here he is, crying to someone he's frantically been looking for ever since noon.
"Where were you?"
He hiccups in between sobs as he runs his hands on your shoulders back and forth, extremely vulnerable as he slides them down on your arms to hold your hands and -
"What happened to you?!"
He has his eyes widening the moment his hand brushes through the thick gauze around your wrist that's gotten you whimpering in the slightest, a wince to your eyes as he's searching you further.
There's a sudden shift to him and now he's frantic again, trying to deduce whatever that's happened and it's doing him a number; formulating if he had contributed to it, whether it was only the slightest fault.
"Jus' a tight tendon and-..."
"Bloody hell is it because of me? Fuck, have I been giving you too much work to type that s'the reason why your wrist's all bad? Have you slept on it? Jesus-..."
Harry stops himself as he raises your hand to examine it further yet it makes him release you just as quick as he held you, not bearing to even look at the gauze as he shudders to what you must've felt and how he's probably the reason.
Makes you sigh and shake your head at him, propping yourself up on his table as you only continue.
"Been feeling it the past week so I finally got it checked out awhile ago, right? Skipped eating lunch and - scold me later, Harry. Then the x-ray they took was available to be picked up on the same day, so I just waited for it. Then well the doctor examined it and she said that surgery was optimal and well I *have my healthcard with me, right? So I've gotten the surgery free and m'friend who's a nurse at the same hospital did it and-..."
"Don't tell me it was Dylan."
"Well I mean - it was Dylan."
You've gotten straight to the point and try not to laugh at the fact that he still has the time to become a bit jealous at a time like this, eyes instantaneously narrowing and eyebrows furrowing at the confirmation.
"Point is, m'all okay now, lovie. No reason for you to be worried."
Harry softens at the way his love (not official yet) concludes the whole story and process and all that, visibly pliable to you as he leans in to your hand when you wipe off his tears.
"I assure the worst in the best so I was - I was really nervous."
He admits in all honesty, not afraid to show how vulnerable he is and how that situation alone earlier made him realize that he's more soft than he ever thought he'd be.
Warms your heart, honestly.
"M'getting you a personal nurse."
He mutters sometime into the embrace that you enclose him in tightly so he could feel the security, familiarity and warmth he was looking for - making you roll your eyes playfully to his statement that unknown to you, is something he really considers.
"You have a meeting tomorrow at nine."
You also mutter sometime into the hug, making him chuckle at the fact that you haven't turned your back to work even if you're the one who's just gotten surgery on their wrist awhile ago.
Harry pulls his love - someone he'd make his love officially sometime into the week - closer to him and just stuff his head to your neck, pressing a little innocent kiss as he hums.
"You're coming home with me tonight."
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