Warning:
- There is minor sexual harassment. It's not major but it ain't consented so it's sexual harassment period
- There is a panic attack that happens.
----------------------
POV: Nero
As the elevator doors opened up to the reception floor, it came to my head that I wasn't actually done with work and still had two hours till I had to go home. I could ask for the rest of the day off. Leo will probably approve of it but I'd rather just go back to my normal day job and remind myself that I don't have to do incognito missions on a regular basis because incognito missions during my day job are terrifying and the experience nearly gave me a heart attack. And that is not a vibe.
As if Leo was reading my mind, he asked me, "Nero, do you want the rest of the day off?"
I just repeated everything I thought in my head which garnered a laugh out of him and he simply said, "Ok." I saw the elevators in sight and all three of us were about to go through the security gates before Leo suddenly stopped, causing Cindy and I to follow in suit. There was a man in front of us and that man looked in his early 30s. He had blonde hair and brown eyes and had the fakest smile I'd ever come across after Leah. He eyed Cindy with disgustingly and all the danger alarms went off in my head. It was at this point when it hit me who this person was.
Whilst my eyes do widen (and tremble slightly), I managed to keep a straight face. I especially commended my knees for not buckling when he looked over to me and gives me a business-like smile. You're fine. You're safe. There are witnesses. He won't do anything to you. You're not even his target anyway... wait I'm not the target but Cindy is. I glanced over to Cindy but she didn't look uncomfortable in his presence, meaning she missed all disgusting signs from Chad. Even his name is douchey.
I was clearly not paying attention because all of a sudden, we were moving to the elevators and approached the CEO designated one (which was smaller than the general ones). Which meant everyone did introductions and small talk... all I did was stand there and blank out. Did he say anything I could use against him? Shit, I should've been paying attention. Now is not the time to freak out. The elevator finally opened up and Chad went in first, followed by Leo. Cindy was about to go in and stand in front of Murphy but I happened to catch the dirty, little smirk of his and I instinctively acted. She can't be there. I have a pen in my pocket. I can use it. Not the subtlest but subtle enough, I got my pen out of my pocket and dropped it in front of Chad. I quietly apologised to thin air and quickly bypassed her to pick up the pen and took up her spot. She stood in front of Leo, next to me.
The doors finally closed and I noticed that sir had pressed for my floor as well as mine. I was still constantly repeating in mind head, you're not the target. You're fine. You're safe. It's not like before. The exit is soon. Except my hypnotism was broken when I felt an unwelcomed hand on my hip. It was subtle and definitely in everyone's blind eye but it was there. And it was moving towards my back and down. I froze, stiffened up very obviously and my mind broke. Aiden said it was women only. He isn't meant to do anything where there are witnesses. Why is there a hand on me? I need to go. I need to get out. I'm suffocating. Someone help me.
My teeth began to chatter, my nerves threatened to take over. I stuck my bottom lip between my teeth in attempts from clacking against each other. I could taste the iron from the broken of my lip. The soft flesh bloomed in pain under the strain of my jaw, I was sure to lose it, and worse of all, it was in front of Leo. I don't want to look pathetic to him. I don't want to show him my broken side. I began breathing shallow breaths at a fast pace. All I heard was a shrill ringing in my ears. I began to plunge into darkness every ten seconds. I'm scared. After zoning back, I realised the door to my floor had opened but I couldn't move. I was frozen. Move! What are you doing?! Go through. Go to the exit. No! The door is closing. My only exit. It's leaving. I'm going to die. I'm going to be... I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable fate.
Nerovsky. Take a deep breath. This was said by another voice from within me. A voice I hadn't heard in a long while. A voice that usually came out when I told it to. The voice of the other presence within me. I didn't respond. His instruction didn't register at the moment but what does register was someone calling out my name. Make it stop, just stop the suffering. Stop the pressure on my chest, the pressure in my mind. I wanted it to all end. Anything better than being stuck between darkness and reality.
"Nerovsky." Suddenly, a voice from the outside was right by his ear. My body was no longer floating in space. I was surrounded by warmth. "Take a deep breath, like me. Follow me." The words register and felt the person around me breathe deeply. It took nearly all of my effort to draw in the air to match his. My lung convulses through sobs, creating a jerking motion instead of the smooth one like the other person.
"There we go. Keep going. Follow my breath." Again, I followed the lead. Each breath pulled me out of the prison that was my mind. The real world became clearer and it was less chaotic. When I was able to draw air in on my own, no longer depending on the warmth guiding me out of my panic, I managed to open my eyes. It took me a few blinks to clear up the blurred vision, enough to understand what was happening around me (it was still a bit foggy though).
I was no longer in the elevator but rather on the floor, next to the elevator. The walls and the ceilings told me I was on the boss's floor. Why am I on the floor? Why am I here? Why am I not on my floor? I looked around more to find hints to my endless questions. However, I stopped when it occurred to me that the previous warmth that was around me hadn't disappeared. I felt it across my chest and it was really warm to my left as well as my back. I looked down to find an arm tighten across my chest and the source seemed to be from my right. I was half sprawled on the floor, on top of someone and half leaned against the wall.
When I turned my head to the right, I was met with a familiar pool of gold and below it, a familiar set of Armani material. The strong warmth surrounding me was Leo. Leo is holding me?
"You back with us, Nemo?" His voice was soft, serious and low in his ear. Wait, Nemo? Oi asshole I don't approve of that. DENIED. I nodded, not trusting my voice. The arms around me didn't let loose and continued to hold me, keeping me firmly in their grasp. One hand was in my hair, slowly stroking and nails were scraping my scalp. The other moved up and down on my hip, matching the pace with the breaths I was drawing in. It was easier to focus on the hands creating comfort than it was to try make sense of what was actually happening.
"Are you feeling better now?" Leo asked with his heavy British accent, several minutes later. My heart had gone back to normal (well it was still a bit paced up but being around this hunk tended to do that by default) and was no longer fighting my toxic thoughts and flashbacks. I nodded again, with a bit more energy than the last. Our eyes were still locked with each other when he breathed out, "Good. Do you know what just happened?"
I took a shaky inhale before breathily saying, "I... just had a p-panic attack, right?"
Leo nodded softly in agreement as if he wasn't trying to scare me with any sudden movements. "Great. So you know that. Now, this might be a bit hard on you. Do you remember why?"
My breath hitched but I managed to push it out of my throat, "...yeah. I know the trigger."
"Do you want to tell me or talk about it? It might help you to let it all out..."
I shook my head quite vigorously. "I- No thank you. I-I'd rather n-n-not talk about i-it or r-r-re-remember it. G-good short term r-relief." The fact that you saw this side of me at all is killing me inside. No one is meant to see it. Ever. Plus, even if I told you, I don't if you'd believe me and even if you do, I don't harm any plans you have with the man... well I do but I don't want you to be mad at me.
Leo does frown at me and looked as if he's going to protest against it but he didn't push it. Instead, he went back to scratching my head, lovingly. He leaned his head against back against the wall and closed his eyes. It was then when I fully comprehended our current position. Blood rushed to my face and ears in full force, my hands became clammy but I don't know if it was from nervousness or sheer embarrassment. But even feeling all that, I loved the embrace and didn't want to leave the comfort. It was calming, warm, loving. It was not lonely. It was everything I ever wanted and something that I could never achieve in permanence.
But alas, we had a reality that we needed to get back and the small bubble we were in needed to burst. Wait doesn't he have a meeting now? That set a new kind of anxiousness (a less severe kind) but I don't express it out loud. Instead, I softly and very regretfully informed Leo, "Um. I think I can get up now."
Leo broke out of his daze and solemnly inquired, "Are you sure? We can stay longer if-"
I quickly reassured him (again, very reluctantly), "No, no. It's alright. I'm fine now."
He held me in the same grip for a bit longer before slowly loosening his arm and getting it off me. I got up and I surprisingly did it pretty smoothly. I dusted myself and fixed up any creases in my mediocre suit. It then occurred to me that I found my surroundings a bit foggy, like my shoes or the signs in the distance. My glasses. I felt my empty face and hair for my glasses, only to nearly poke my eyes out. I abruptly turned to face Leo and asked with slight alarm, "Where are my-"
Leo was right in front of my face, leaving barely any breathing room and put the lost frames on my face. I looked at him in awe (I don't know why ok) and he said with a smile, "Right here. I took them off so they didn't get crushed. You know just in case. Your breathing was also fogging them up in the elevator."
"Oh... I... Thank you."
"No worries."
Meeting! I quickly snapped myself out of it again and hurriedly inquired, "Aren't you meant to be in a meeting right now? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, my secretary is entertaining our... guest. The meeting has been pushed back by half an hour."
"Oh my god it's all my fault, isn't it? I'm extremely sorry. I-I didn't mean to cause any trouble and-"
Leo shook my shoulders and stopped my rambling. "Nemo! I'm not mad at you, idiot. You had a panic attack for merlin's sake. You can't control that shit. Everyone in the elevator was freaking out, especially Mr. Murphy... for some odd reason. (Yeah I don't think it's for the same reason as you) Cindy was about to go into her own panic attack from the sheer worry. And I wasn't just going to leave you alone. I'm not an asshole. And no I don't say arsehole, even though I'm British. It just sounds weird to me. Anyway, my point is, stop blaming yourself for everything. Especially for things that cannot be controlled. Say thank you instead."
"But I- you're late because of- I..." I gave up and slumped my shoulders a bit. "Thank you, Leo. I honestly mean it. From the bottom of my heart. Other than Aiden... no one's really helped me out like that. But seriously. Stop calling me Nemo. Where did you even get that from?"
That bloomed a smirk on the other man's face. "Where I got it is complicated and not important. Also, you call me Mufasa. It's only fair."
I don't hide the frustration in my voice. "As a sheer joke and nothing more! That pet name is horrendous. I'd rather shovel manure for a living than call you that unironically. I can think of a hundred different ones that sound so much better!"
If you thought this man couldn't surprise me further, think again. Because this man not only moves closer but he brings me closer by pulling by my hips and wrapping his arms around my waist. This action most certainly DID NOT cause me to squeak out of surprise and it certainly didn't cause me to open my mouth so wide, that you could shove a vaulting pole with no issue. It did, however, cause my hands to rest on his chest out of instinct and make my face so red, I could probably blend in with that red tie of his. Just what on earth is going on? Did I actually end up suffocating and dying? This is not actually happening. Why is this happening? Like I'm not complaining but I'm also complaining? I hate being flabbergasted like this! I craned my head up to look at his face in disbelief and in return, he gave me a playful and VERY CLEARLY flirty face. He then proceeded to say, where his voice was dropped a bar a lower and had a flirtatious undertone,
"Oh? So you're telling me you can think of a hundred different pet names for me. You know what pet names are right? Their names you give to your endeared ones... are you telling me you're so attracted to me that you can think of 100 different names?"
ERROR! ERROR! COMMAND CENTRE HAS CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNT TO CRISP. CURRENTLY OUT OF COMMISSION. WHY THE FUCK IS HE– I blinked rapidly because I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO and stuttered out utter nonsense. "I- wuh- how did you- what kind of conclusion- where did that idea- how pretentious can you- have you gone mad?!
The taller man barked out a loud laugh, still not letting me go. "Am I wrong then?"
I was vexed. "Yes?! I was just saying... never mind. That was not the point of my statement. Like at all." Why on earth are you not pushing him away? He's kept a loose enough grip on you.
Shut it other Nero. Let me bask in this as much as I can. I'm never going to experience this again. Even though I don't know how I got in this position in the first place anyway.
Leo pouted to express his disappointment. THAT'S RIGHT. POUTING. THE MOTHER FUCKER WAS POUTING. The world is ending confirmed. He even sounded disheartened. "That's disappointing. I really wanted a unique pet name from you. A name that only you can call. After all, I have one for you."
I'm puzzled. "You do?"
"Yep."
"... oh god don't tell me it's-"
"Nemo!" He BEAMED like the sun when announced that.
I seethed in irritation. "Oh you're fucking with me. Mind the language. I do not accept this. Nope. Nudda. Not happening. You can't do that. Denied." I'm in his arms.
"Too bad. I'm still doing it. Plus it suits you. You're cute like Nemo." I'm still in his arms.
I got flustered all over again and knocked my hands against his chest (lightly so he didn't actually let me go). "YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT! STOP THAT! It doesn't suit me. Stop pulling a Leah and using it. I will sue you."
"I don't think that's how the suing system works." He's so warm.
"I don't care. I'm still doing it." I crossed my arms and glared at him with all the hatred in the world. Except, I'm pretty sure I looked like a child with my height. It also didn't help that Leo was looking at me rather fondly than his usual jerk-ish expressions. Just what goes through this man's head? Is he messing with me... or does he mean all of this? Fucking CEOs and their master's degrees in the art of deception. Stop playing me like this.
"Regardless... I still want a pet name from you, designated for me. It's your new assignment. Failure means dire consequences that shall not be named."
Ok this is ridiculous. "WHAT?! Are you a child?!"
"Yes. I want a name." He said this with a deadpanned face. I couldn't even argue back. I was confused and a headache was coming on. I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes to avoid losing anymore braincells. This day is just a dream. This day is just a dream. This day is just a dream... who am I kidding? It's not a dream. I wish it was though... kind of... the embraces were really nice. But now I'm gonna crave them and have withdrawal symptoms. The boss is an asshole.
Looking back up at him, I seriously asked, "So you're serious about the name thing?"
The golden-brown haired man nodded enthusiastically.
Cue the sigh of resignation. "I... fine. I'll think of something. Just don't give me a deadline." With that being said, I pushed at him, with every intention of getting away from him and he easily let me go. "You now have a meeting to attend and I have a job to go to. So adios sir. I need to process everything that happened on the way down."
Instead of returning a farewell, Leo threw a dark scowl at me which caused me to physically flinch. He darkly commanded, "You are not going to work."
"Huh? But it's still working hours and I don't want the day off..."
"Nemo-"
"Stop calling me that!"
"-you just had a bloody panic attack and you seriously think you're in any condition to go to work?"
"... yes? I mean I've done it before. I can manage..." (well honestly, it drains the hell out of me and I'm emotionally out of commission for 3 days but he doesn't need to know that. I have a point to prove)
Wrong answer apparently because now the boss was definitely planning my funeral in his head. "I don't care if you've done it before. I bet it killed you inside for a while. Anyway, you have the day off. Go home. You're not fit to work."
"But-"
"Go. Home." Every ounce of finality was in those two words.
I glared back and then relented due to exhaustion. "Fine. I'll go home."
"Good. I am now going to go to my office and if I hear from anyone that you've been sighted anywhere but the ground floor or outside the building, I'm sending you out on more incognito missions."
Oh fuck that! I gulpped, nodded and entered the CEO only elevator. Leo was still standing there, so before the door closed, I gave him a small wave and a thankful smile. He reciprocated back with a wave and looked at me that wordlessly said, you're welcome.
As soon as the door closed, I immediately called Aiden on the folding shenanigan. Aiden picked up after three rings and I declare immediately,
"Change of plans. I'm going after him tomorrow."
"... what? What happened?"
"I'll explain once I get home. Which is in an hour. Also will be explained once I get home. Come to my place straight from work. This is more than a request mission. It's also revenge... and unrequested favour."
"What on earth? Nero, what the fuck happened? You're lowkey scaring me now."
"Don't worry. I'm not killing him. As much as I want to. You know I do. I won't though for you. Anyhow, like I said, I will explain everything at my place not now. I just need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"It's not going be following the usual procedure but it's better this way for this case. The man really cares for his image. Anyway, you're going to hate me for this being last minute but I need you send out all the dirt tonight. Or at least, early tomorrow morning."
"Nah shit that's last minute, Jesus fucking Christ."
The elevator door opened up and I walked with determination towards the exit. I need to prepare myself for tomorrow.
"Yeah I know. I'm sorry. You can do it, right?"
"...*sigh* yeah ok I can do it. Only if I get a detailed explanation of everything that happened today. Because something tells that it wasn't just the last hour that was bonkers. You sound like you've been through hell and back."
"You know me too well. And yeah, deal. Full verbal, detailed report on today will be given when you reach my place."
"And I want Korean fried chicken for dinner."
"... Fine, you fucking leech. You know you have a lot more money than me, right?"
"Suck it up princess. You just put a shit ton of work on me in the last second. You get to say nothing."
"... Whatever. See you soon."
"See ya."