2 weeks since payday
The Onceler x assistant reader
Mild burn, odd behavior, uncomfortable boss, heartbroken man, everyone needs therapy, kinda joke but can be seen as serious, Tom from accounting looks like Paul Dano in my head, Delusions, obsessive behavior
WARNING: the reader is no better than him, they both are codependent in a way
A/N: This one was made on a whim, not my best work but whatever
Words: 2,335
MasterList
Another day, another slay. At least that's what I told myself when I woke up to my leaky roof and humid bedsheets. You might ask, but why? Why let the roof leak and make the bedsheets get humid and gross and possibly grow mold? Simple, I don't have money to fix the damn roof in the first place. Then you might ask, well what about your job, and that ladies, gentlemen, others, neither, is exactly why I don't have money.
You see I work for the Onceler, a wealthy man, and not to be cliché, but I'm his personal assistant. Before you ask, no, unfortunately, he does not bend me over the desk and spoil me rotten, that's what his secretary is for apparently. No, I get extra special treatment, I get to see the even more intimate parts of him, his true self. And when I tell you it's anything but a blessing, I'm not joking. Tell me why this man asked for a coffee, I get him a coffee, and he complains I didn't get him enough coffee. I'm sorry were the five pumps of caramel and syrup, that you asked for, filling up your large coffee cup? My bad let me go bend the molecules of the cup to make it bigger, oh? You don't want a bigger cup? Sorry, let me change the rules of reality, so your cup stays the same size, but you get more coffee. Yet I in my good, kind-hearted nature decided he needed someone there for him emotionally.
I won't lie, I have seen him in weaker moments when sales decline, and he gets stressed and has little breakdowns. I see the humanity and I feel pity, so I stick around, but at what cost, my downfall, apparently. Because showing weakness locked me in forever I guess, now even if I died, he’d probably find some way to bring me back from the dead. Just to complain about the taste of his cream cheese bagel, and how no one does it like he likes it, unless when I make it. Sometimes I wonder if the secretary has it better, but then I remember how easily replaceable she is and come to the conclusion, yes, she has it easier because at least she can be free one day. Also, this whole time I was driving to work by the way, I know, you probably still imagined me in bed, but I'm a maladaptive daydreamer I have these kinds of conversations with myself while getting work done. Anyway, as much as I like inner dialogue at some point I'll have to encounter real talking, like with others, and enjoy the silence with me for only a moment longer.
KNOCK KNOCK
Moment of silence ruined, I look over to my left and see the bishop boy, no older than 17, no younger than 15, he's a bubbly kid, with a Brooklyn accent, slick back hair, Jesse from Full House aesthetic. he was a good kid, a great kid even, but I wasn't really in the mood for his usual morning greeting that consisted of many questions.
“Mornin’, how has your mornin’ been? Mine's been well, did you eat today? I didn't, I was almost late today, how was traffic?” I nodded my head along, not retaining any information the kid was springing at me.
“That's lovely kiddo, wanna let me in, thanks” The kid chuckled and nodded going over and pressing the buzzer, opening the gates.
I waved in thanks before driving up into the parking spot just for the Onceler's personal team, I pulled my car up next to the secretary’s car and parked. Glancing over, I see Tom from accounting in the passenger seat back and the windows seemed fogged up. I rather not think too hard about it, and quickly got out of my car and rushed inside. As I make my way down the long, horribly red and green hallways, I question why I keep coming back. If I haven't made it clear, which I doubt I have I never do, I haven't gotten a paycheck for about two weeks. Yup, you heard me, two weeks. I am also pretty sure I've made it this far because he pays for my bills. But also, he doesn't give me extra money for things like my leaky roof, clothes, eating out in places, not that I need to do that last one. He always takes me somewhere to eat for lunch as an excuse not to go to meetings. Still, I kinda like the other two things, he gives me enough to survive but not to live, you know.
I walk up to the big doors I've grown to resent, glancing at the secretary's desk, she's obviously not there, she was busy with Tom in the parking lot after all. I mean, pop off I guess, none of my business. I look back up, pushing past the doors and seeing the man himself, being a stalker. He was looking out his window, probably at his secretary's car that had been presumably parked there a suspicious amount of time without his lovely secretary leaving it. I didn't know what to do, should I save him the realization or let this play out? Then I realized if he got all down in the dumps, I was going to be the one he cried on while drinking half a glass of whiskey before passing out and later vomiting. I quickly coughed and caught his attention, he turned, not really wanting to look away from the car.
“Hey, your Pookie can wait. She literally works just outside your office every day, hurry up you have a thick schedule as always” I knew mentioning the boring stuff would make him groan in annoyance and look to me to make a whiney complaint. Perfect, he's distracted.
“I hate actually working, can't I just work on my Thneedville model” There he goes with the complaining again.
“You did that once because I was sick and your secretary is easily manipulated by your fake charms and ended up missing all your meetings. Caused marketing to be held back a few days and everything to fall behind the deadline” I sighed rolling my eyes, so the headache began.
“Listen, I don't pay you to lecture me” He huffed walking over to me with his slender frame, the white button-up and loose tie dangling from his neck, followed by his long green gloves and black slacks. No shoes tho, though he either roamed barefoot or with socks when he was in his office, something about the comfort.
“You actually don't pay me at all” He rolled his eyes at my comment, and he leaned on his desk.
“I don't need to, you live fine, I pay for your bills” He smirked like what he said was worth a mic drop, as if.
“And yet, my roof is leaking, and I don't eat breakfast or dinner because I have literally no money at all. Most people are either broke or rich or somewhere in between of being in debt or constantly spending money, I am like none of them. My bank account is always at zero” God please someone get the secretary to distract him I'm already going insane, it's been 20 minutes on a Monday.
“Whatever, hey, did you happen to see Miss. Trudy on your way in? I saw you park next to her and I haven't seen her come out yet” God that's not what I meant by distracting him with the secretary, do you hate me?
“No, I haven't technically seen her, I was too busy getting inside” Please be enough.
“What do you mean technically? So you know where she is?” Bro, the universe wants me dead for trying to be a good person.
“She's been busy from what I know” Spare him the details, good thinking me.
“With what?” I'm about to jump out the window, I swear.
“Tom” Short and simple.
“Tom? From accounting? For what? I don't need anything from them?” She does apparently
“Who knows, can we get back on topic, you have a meeting in like 30 minutes, and by in 30 minutes I mean 30 minutes ago you had this meeting in 30 minutes” I looked at the schedule that we were already behind in.
Jeez, already screwed over by the secretary and stupid Tom in accounting. It's like working for 10 kindergartners in a trench coat, always having to refocus him from his obsessions. He groaned but went to grab his shoes. I still don't remember when he got comfortable enough to just do that around me. I don't care, as long as he keeps the grippers locked up, The summer was brutal, no more comments about it.
Anyway, we went about our day, a few stranglers here and there nothing severe, until about 6 in the afternoon, late I know, don't remind me. He wanted to say goodbye to his special little secretary and I being tired wasn't paying attention to how you could literally see her being held by Tom from the shadow around the corner. Cliché as HELL, and maybe that's why my life sucks, this is some crap you see in fan fiction that you find at like 3 AM for the hell of it. My point is, that we turned the very uncomfortable corner to a very sloppy-I mean-sappy make-out session between the two. I was too late to try to distract the Onceler the damage was done, he immediately blew up on Tom, one because that was his little obsession Tom was kissing, but also because the poor fella was hella butt hurt. In his rage, he fired them both before dragging me away to his office, probably to rant about professionalism before crying and drinking. Guess either way I was going to get to this point, at least we got through most of the schedule before the crying and screaming.
“I can't believe this! She was just casually swapping spit with TOM, of all people! TOM, from accounting! No one willingly kisses anyone who works in accounting. Did I mean anything to her? I gave her my everything and she just threw it away!” Wow, he really loved that girl, I thought it was just his ego, but he looks like he just caught his girlfriend cheating on him.
“You guys were never official, seemed more like a repetitive fling”
“A fling!? She wasn't just a fling, she was my world, and she was supposed to be mine, I wanted to ask her out but, you keep making me be responsible and crap, now, now I know she never really was mine to begin with, huh?” He looked down, falling back into his office chair and covering his face, crap, this is a lot more serious than I thought it would be.
“Look at the bright side, if she didn't see you as someone worth her time. Then maybe it was for the best you guys didn't get serious” I went over and leaned on his desk crossing my arms over my chest, trying to seem reassuring in my tone.
“I know” That was probably the least convincing tone I've ever heard.
“Listen, it's not the end of the world, you're rich and young and decent, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would like a chance with you.” I mean, I'm not lying to him technically.
“Ya but, how many of them would like me for me” Damn it do you always have to ask the hard-to-answer questions man
“Love, real pure love, is hard. Rich, poor, young, old, it doesn't matter, it's hard, and it will stay hard forever, but you can't let it beat you up like this” Where is this coming from? When did I get so wise about love, I guess the coach doesn't play, right? Or is there something under my skin surfacing? I'm probably just tweaking.
“I guess… Hey, do you, ever think about me outside of work?” Random, but also a valid question, do I?
“Well, I mean, if I think about it, I guess I do, do you think of me?” Am I possessed or something? What's going on here
“Sometimes, before I sleep, sometimes because of that I see you in my dreams” That's, nice? I'm not really sure if this is making me feel warm because it's embarrassment, or something deeper. Oh, crap, is this deeper?
“That's nice… How are you feeling?” Good, let's change the topic, good idea.
“Better, I guess, I was just, overreacted and, I also, realized something about myself”
“That's good to hear” The silence after that was loud, it was just us, in his office alone, I wasn't sure what I was feeling, or how this conversation would affect the future. This really made me think about things, things I never thought of before, like, how, even if the secretary was set free, was that something I really wanted deep down. Did I actually enjoy being his constant, his real help, his real rock? Was this an eye-opening experience to the relationship we have and how intimate it really is, sure it not the normal kind he had with Miss. Trudy, but it's more than just the physical. How have I never noticed, am I really that distracted?
“So, wanna go get food” The words left me without permission, but I wouldn't say I regret it, I wouldn't say I want to take it back. I don't think I ever wanted to quit, not out of my own kindness but out of something more. He stood up with a soft smile, one I brushed off but now, I really saw it, the small way he smirked with his teeth showing a little. I smiled back, maybe this was the start of something worth my time, worth the headache and the complaints.
“Yeah, I'm down”
I think, I think this is worth it, maybe I can enjoy my job for once.
“I still need to get paid”
“Yeah whatever”
“I'm serious”
“I know”
