My colleague thinks pissing me off will get me to worship the ground he walks on || joshua x oc
Pairing : joshua x oc (harry) {can also be read as a y/n fic}
Genres : fluff
Word count : 4.2k {4288 words}
warnings : mentions of food, slowburn, Joshua is annoying and so are you
Summary : She hates her colleague. If she had to put up with him a little longer, she might start hating her job. He never intended to, but he became the reason her blood pressure was always up during meetings. All that “hatred” changed into something else… how?
Joshua. One name. That’s all it took for her blood to boil. She hated his existence at this point, and he made that happen so effortlessly. Joshua was merely her colleague, who wasn’t even on the same team as her, yet he managed to do everything that annoyed her. The days Joshua took off were easily the best days Harry had at work. She was just glad that he didn’t make her hate her work life entirely.
She rushed to the elevator doors, running late, as she saw Joshua already inside. He clicked the button that closed the doors immediately after he saw her and made her miss it. Normally she would be happy to not be in the same confined space as the annoying man but today she was already late, missing the elevator only made her later than she already was, which wasn’t good considering she had a meeting in 5 minutes.
He wasn’t particularly a fan of her either. Harry had her own ways to rile him up as well. The meetings that required both of them to attend had always been heated up by their arguments. They always had something or the other to mention against each other’s ideas. Someone had to constantly remind them that it was a meeting and not a debate.
At work dinners, the way Joshua would suck up to their boss would get on her nerves while the way she would ruin his moments by saying something against him.
“Why do you hate Joshua so much?” Soonyoung asked.
She paused. She forgot about the sugar cube she had just picked up to drop in her coffee and got lost in her thoughts. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t put a pin on the moment she started hating him. She snapped out of it and put the cube in her coffee and mixed it.
“I guess it’s just natural… I have no clue Soonyoung, but I don’t think the origin matters if I can’t even remember it. He’s just annoying as he is, all the time, every time, always.”
“Geez, I thought there was some lore behind this or something. Not gonna lie, I’m lowkey disappointed Harry.”
“Well, it is what it is.” She continued sipping her coffee as they headed back to their workspace.
Not today. She didn’t want to have any stupid interactions with Joshua today. Harry couldn’t handle Joshua’s annoying existence on the day she found out her longtime crush was a piece of shit. No, because one of the stories he posted just revealed that just like other “men” he turned out to be a misogynistic, homophobic, and ignorant idiot as well. She was filled with feelings like disappointment, disgust, anger, etc. One wrong step and she might blow up.
Thankfully she didn’t see him the whole day.
Until she did. He just had to be the one who parked his car a little too close to hers. Good thing he came at the right time though, because imagine waiting for the car owner to come and move their car for her to even go home on a day that was overwhelming enough. But that didn’t stop her from yelling her lungs at him. All the frustration and anger she had towards herself for liking such a person (not that she knew until that day) all came spilling onto Joshua’s face right out of her mouth. For some reason, Joshua didn’t feel like fighting back. Normally he would do anything to get back at her but for some reason he felt like he shouldn’t. He felt like if he fought back this time the so-called “hatred” that they had between them would turn into something real. That’s something that scared him like a little kid being scared that their best friend would stop playing with them.
After listening to her shout at him, he spoke. He shouldn’t have though, because he made her cry instead of winding her up more. If only he screamed back, she wouldn’t have felt guilty about the displacement of anger. If only he yelled back at her, she wouldn’t have felt so vulnerable. “Are you alright Harry?” Just that one sentence, coming from Joshua that too, broke her down. But she couldn’t afford to be vulnerable in front of Joshua of all people. She had to leave. That instant.
She pulled herself together and politely asked him to move his car immediately, wiping off her tears quickly. He did it without questioning her further. She took off without giving him an apology or an explanation, leaving Joshua as perplexed as he’d ever been.
The next day at work, she seemed just fine. Looking at her work like nothing ever went wrong yesterday, Joshua was glad to see her alright but also concerned and confused.
Is she acting like everything’s fine? Or is everything really fine? What was that yesterday? Was she mad at me? Was she just having a rough day? Should I ask her? Would that be weird? Maybe I could ask Soonyoung, I’m sure he will know. Maybe that would be crossing a boundary.
All that and a lot more thoughts occupied Joshua’s head for a couple of days. All he could do was look at her from a distance and worry. He tried his best not to interact with her at all because he didn’t want to annoy her until he was sure she was fine.
She found the distance between the two both peaceful yet empty. She liked how her blood pressure didn’t rise every other second but at the same time she also missed it a little. And that thought she trashed immediately. She convinced herself that it was only peace that she felt and no emptiness.
“Soonyoung…” Harry stared at a painting on the wall of the coffee room. He sensed that she was caught up in her thoughts and asked her what was up.
“So, is it normal to feel empty when a noisy neighbour finally moves out?”
“Did that karaoke machine guy move out? You miss him?”
She choked on her coffee. “No!! Seokmin didn’t move out.”
“Then who are you missing?”
“No one. I just saw that line somewhere online and wondered if that’s how people feel. That’s it. I don’t miss anyone. Why would you think it’s about me? I don’t have anyone that I could miss. Pfft.”
“Strong denial is strong agreement.” He laughed, but he also let it slide because he knew about the ex-crush and didn’t want to press in case it was about him. It’d been a week and she was finally back to normal. He wouldn’t want to mess that up for her.
Right then, Joshua walked in and grabbed a cup to get some coffee for himself. Yes, he was brave enough to be seen by her that day because it’d been a while since the incident and she seemed totally alright and back to form that morning in their meeting when they had their usual bickering.
He sat down across them to drink his coffee. He drank too soon and burnt his tongue. But not only was his tongue burnt but so was his stomach. He was jealous. He had the perfect view of Soonyoung wiping off some biscuit crumbs off the corner off Harry’s lips. Seeing them so close together made him lose his rationality. Joshua knew that Soonyoung was Harry’s best friend since before she joined work here so it was probably just normal for them to be close like that. But seeing them so close as if he was watching a drama didn’t do him any good.
He just threw a snarky comment and stormed off without even waiting for Harry’s comeback and squabble as he normally would. He just couldn’t stand being there anymore. He couldn’t see her like that with someone else.
Walking away, he calmed himself down and scolded himself for losing his cool like that and behaving totally out of character. He hoped that he didn’t make her hate him for real or anything.
That seemed to be a constant worry given their setup. If there would be a poster for a movie of their lives it would be a picture of Joshua and Harry standing face to face with swords against each other’s throats and killer gazes. That’s how a third person would describe their relationship. As much as Joshua hated it, he couldn’t stop it either because he didn’t know how else to communicate or interact with her. He would rather be her rival than be no one to her.
Pulling the short straw really was a bad thing because Harry was stuck with decoration work along with Joshua. The usual bickering at least made sure that the room wasn’t filled with awkward silence. They made a plan such that they wouldn’t get in each other’s way so that they could finish up their work soon and stay away from each other.
“Joshua.” Harry called out.
“Yes Potter?” Yeah, that was one lame, not-so-creative nickname he had for her that pissed her off a lot. Not that she hated Harry Potter, or that she wasn’t used to it, it was merely the fact that hearing it from Joshua ticked her off.
“Do you mind if I play some music? Out loud. I think I left my earphones at home.”
“Only if you have good taste.”
Harry played her favourite playlist without hesitation. As soon as the first song started playing Joshua was delighted. He was happy to know that there was something in common between them now and that he didn’t have to bicker with her every time he spotted her, he could now talk about Day6 too. As a few more songs played and all were from Day6, he was just sure that she was a fellow My Day as well, but he just had to hear it from her to be 100% sure.
“My Day?” Was all he said for her to turn towards him without looking the slightest bit mad at him. “You too?” She asked. All he did was nod shyly for her to feel connected to him somehow, not even questioning why he was being shy. They started talking about Day6 and their music and all that for hours as they finished their work together.
A few weeks went by, there was bickering of course but none of it felt hostile anymore, it felt more playful except for in their meetings. The meetings became less of a debate room and more of a meeting room where both Harry and Joshua were able to express their ideas without jumping at each other’s throats. Even when there was a difference of opinion, it was expressed very politely and non-sarcastically. Everyone was surprised to see so much change in how they treated each other recently and started speculating things.
“You do realise that there’s some talk about you and Joshua going around now that y’all ain’t strangling each other mentally every time your eyes meet.” Soonyoung said as he placed their coffee cups on the table and sat next to her.
“Well…” Before she could complete it, Joshua entered.
“Hi Harry, hi Soonyoung!” He said, walking towards the coffee machine.
“Join us.” Harry said, earning herself a funny look from Soonyoung that Joshua failed to notice. She just nudged him from under the table and Soonyoung got the warning. Joshua sat across them again with his coffee, hoping not to burn his stomach this time.
“You tell me Joshua.” Soonyoung repeated the same thing he just told Harry before he entered the room. To which Joshua explained that the change in vibe between them both was because they kind of bonded over being My Days. Soonyoung laughed. He didn’t expect that. He was expecting something more like one of them was blackmailing the other or they slept with each other or something stupid like that. But this totally made sense to him since he knew how she got along with the fandom so well.
“I should get back to work.” Harry said, sipping the last bit of her coffee. “Soonyoung and I are going out for some drinks tonight. You can join us if you’re free.”
“If Soonyoung is fine with it too, and if I’m not intruding, I would love to!”
“Hey man you’re most welcome as long as the both of you don’t go on about Day6 for hours and leave me out.” He joked.
Harry and Joshua at the same time assured him that that wouldn’t happen and confirmed that Joshua was joining them that evening.
These little hangouts didn’t stop with just one. There were many more, sometimes it was just the two of them also.
They started getting along really well and the bickering came to an end. They were nothing like rivals anymore. Anyone who didn’t know how they used to be would call them good friends. To their other colleagues it was still a mystery as to how they went from wanting to throw each other off the rooftop to getting each other coffee and smiling at each other. There was one person happy with this development.
Joshua.
He’d always wanted to be on good terms with her so that he could at least have a shot with her. He’d fallen head over heels for her the day he laid his eyes on her for the first time. A few days had gone by, Joshua trying to get Harry to notice him, but it didn’t work. She didn’t know about him till they officially met in the meeting room. Getting on her nerves during a meeting was not on his to-do list. He didn’t know how to tell her that he didn’t mean to oppose her idea so strongly. He just had a difference in opinion and enjoyed having a conversation with her so he didn’t stop, not realising that it wasn’t enjoyable for her on the other hand.
Starting off on the wrong foot, Joshua felt helpless. He didn’t want his crush to be mad at him every time she saw him, no. He wanted her to smile brightly and run to him and talk to him about the most trivial things. He wanted to be the one she went to for anything that happened throughout her days. But instead, he became someone she wanted to avoid so badly. He wanted her to miss his absence not celebrate it.
Harry : You’re not at work today? I haven’t seen you the whole day. I hope you’re doing well.
Joshua’s day was made. He never expected her to check up on him, especially when his absence usually meant celebration to her.
Joshua : I’m fine, I just had a personal commitment so I took the day off. Thanks for checking in Harry 😊 Harry : Ah, good to know you’re fine. See you tomorrow then. Joshua : See you tomorrow Harry 😊
It was the best day of his life so far. But that would change soon if Harry said yes to him soon.
There’s no way she’s going to say no for this. He took the day of to get 2 tickets to the upcoming Day6 concert in hopes that Harry would go out with him. How he was going to ask her out was something he hadn’t planned yet.
Should he casually let it slip that he has 2 concert tickets and ask her to tag along? Should he send her an email of the concert tickets and then explain it to her. Should he ask her out for coffee or something before he gave her the tickets? Would that be too much?
The excited man showed up at work the next day, looking a little too happy. As usual, Harry, Soonyoung, and Joshua met at the coffee room and Harry had the chance to ask him why he was so happy that day. She made it easier for him to ask her then.
“So, I took off yesterday, right? It was to get 2 tickets to the upcoming Day6 concert!” Joshua spoke as the other two listened intently. Soonyoung figured where this was heading and excused himself pretending to get a phone call. Joshua then continued.
“Would you like to go with me?”
Harry was blushing a little. She wanted it to be a date, but he didn’t mention that. As if he could read her mind, he spoke again. “As a date.”
The bright smile of hers that he always wanted her to show him finally grew on her face.
“I would love to.”
Joshua couldn’t help but mirror her smile. He got up and put away their coffee cups. “I’ll mail you the tickets then, we could maybe go on a date before the concert too, you know, shopping for outfits or anything you would like.”
“Let’s go shopping for outfits, yes, that would be fun!”
The two continued planning their dates and went back to work soon.
“Girl! I knew it! I knew he was going to ask you out. I did well by leaving y’all alone, right?” Soonyoung was giggling.
“Literally, how did you know?”
“It’s so obvious that he has a huge crush on you, you’re just too blind to see it I guess.”
“I’m not blind, but I guess he is into me maybe? Because why else would he ask me out? And I’m interested too I guess because him asking me out made me happy?” “Harry, shut up. You’ve been crushing on him for a while too now.”
“No. I haven’t been crushing on him. I just think he’s nice.” “Just like him, you’re really bad at hiding your crush too. Anyone who knew you guys personally would know that y’all are totally into each other.”
What Soonyoung said left Harry wondering. How long had she found Joshua attractive and how long had he liked her? How come she never noticed it? She was happy he asked her out though. She could let her curious mind rest till the date and get her doubts clarified then.
Joshua : I’ll be there at 5pm to pick you up, you can come down whenever you’re ready. Harry : Great! See you at 5pm then :3 Joshua : <3
Harry was kicking her feet in the air at the sight of the heart emoji that Joshua sent her. She was excited for the date. She knew that she was going to have a good time. She didn’t know why she felt comfortable and confident that things would go well, because normally she wouldn’t trust men that easily. Something was different when it came to Joshua though. She was just sure that he wouldn’t let the door slam at her face, that he wouldn’t blame her or get impatient if she was a little late, that he wouldn’t walk too fast, inconsiderate of her heels making her slower than usual, that he wouldn’t fail her like other men usually did on the dates she’d been on.
“Were you waiting for too long?”
“Not really, and even otherwise you needn’t think about that. I’d wait for as long as you need to get ready the way you want to. And Harry… You’re beautiful.”
She needed to scream but that would make her look insane. Or give away how much she liked him already. He had a way with her heart. He effortlessly said and did the right things. Anything and everything that would make her comfortable and be her confident self. He was being the perfect date she had yet to experience.
He made sure to stop by a café to get her some milk tea so that she doesn’t have to go shopping on an empty stomach. He helped her choose a few outfits and waited for her patiently as she tried them out. He complimented her in all her new outfits but even more in the one he liked the most. He let her help him choose his outfits as well. They had their own goofy time at the accessory shop as well. Wearing rings on all the fingers and wearing multiple necklaces at the same time, wearing funny hats together, and clicking pictures like that.
After shopping for hours, Joshua knew that the milk tea would no longer keep them going so he drove them to a restaurant for some dinner.
They talked about how fun the date had been so far while they waited for their food to get ready. And that was the time where Harry had to ask. “Joshua… when… since when were you interested in me?”
“Oh. Um. I wouldn’t call it just interest. I’ve liked you ever since you joined our office. I didn’t know how to approach you, and before I even attempted anything I ended up being an annoying existence to you. I didn’t like how you were always mad when you saw me, but I was glad I wasn’t a nobody to you, so I went along with whatever dynamic we had setup for us. Hoping that one day we would become lovers instead of rivals. You have no idea how relieved I felt when—”
“Your food is ready.” The waiter started keeping their food on their table.
That gave Joshua the gap to catch her reaction, which made his heart skip a beat. She was sitting across him, listening intently, a little smile drawn upon her face, her cheeks a little red from his confession, her hair falling on all the right places on her face and shoulders.
And once the waiter was gone, he continued to confess, trying hard to maintain eye contact.
“So, yeah, where was I? Yeah. You have no idea how relieved I felt when we discovered we both were MY Days because honestly, if not for that discovery, we would probably be pulling each other’s hair out in every meeting and glaring at each other all the time at work.”
“Joshua… wow. I don’t know what to say. That’s… that’s so cute. You’re cute. And… I think I might like you too? Even if I’m not sure about that yet, I’m definitely interested in finding out with you if you would like.”
“I’d love that for us Harry. You don’t have to rush; you can take your time to figure out how you feel about me. I like you, and I respect you and your feelings. Let’s go out on a few more dates. If you like me, you like me. If not, that’s totally fine. Well not totally but I’ll still respect your decision.”
“Thank you for liking me, Joshua.”
Joshua : Rest well Harry and maybe keep your feet in some warm water, we did walk around a lot today. Harry : you too Josh. I can call you that, right? Joshua : anything you like darling Joshua : [deleted a message] Joshua : anything you like~
“Tell me everything!!” Soonyoung chased you around at coffee breaks and lunch time to hear all about your date. Not just that day but every other date you had with Joshua, Soonyoung was interested. “Your love life is my new favourite manhwa!” He exclaimed. Harry as usual told Soonyoung everything about all their dates. Soonyoung approved of Joshua unlike every other guy she had ever dated before.
“You know, I think I’m finally happy with a guy. I’m glad that it’s Joshua who makes me happy.”
“I think you’re falling. Falling in love.” Soonyoung said with stars in his eyes.
“Well, weirdly I can’t even think of denying it. Maybe you’re right Soonyoung. Is this how love feels?”
“You should totally tell him on your next date or something.”
She was thinking about what Soonyoung said. She wasn’t a person who openly expresses her feelings through speech like that. She had an idea.
“The night sky looks so pretty, doesn’t it Harry?”
Joshua and Harry were walking back to his car after the concert.
“It looks like the best night sky I’ve ever seen.”
“Is it because of the concert or because you’re with me?” Joshua playfully looked at you expecting an answer.
“I’d say both.” She let go of his hand. He watched her curiously. She fished out what looked like a pretty envelope from her bag.
“Joshua, get in the car.” She handed him the letter once he got in. “I’ll stay out here, I want you to let me know once you’ve finished reading it, alright?” He just nodded and started reading through the letter once she closed the door.
Now he was the one who couldn’t express himself through words. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His longtime crush who was his rival for so long, became friends with him, agreed to go out with him, and is now in love with him???? How was he supposed to react to this? The woman he loved, loved him back. That miracle happened to them. He was way too happy to contain himself, he threw the door open and hugged her tight.
He asked her softly, “Can I kiss you?”
She pulled away from the hug and leaned in close enough for their lips to almost be touching. “You can Josh.”
That’s all she had to say to experience the best kiss on the best day of her life.
She got to see a Day6 concert with the man she loved. She got to confess her feelings for him on that magical night. He returned her feelings. The man she loved, loved her back. She then had her first kiss with him. He drove her back home; she invited him up. They spent the night peacefully sleeping in each other’s arms.