Note:
- Nero and Leo are back! I hope you enjoyed the Aiden/Erwin segment.
- I wish I had an editor. Grammarly is my current editor.
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POV: Nero
"... I need you re-tell the clusterfuck you just said but in a coherent manner. "
Matthew frustratedly sighed. "Nero I don't have to re-explain everything."
I sent him the meanest look possible. I was non-verbally telling him that I was about to snap his neck right there and then. By the visible gulp and shiver, it seemed he got the message. It stopped him from packing his stuff up but didn't stop him from releasing a defeated sigh, however. "Fucking fine! Long story short, I need you to go to TB Bank and meet up with Leo and the accountant as my replacement in about an hour. I've got you cleared for the day so you can go home straight after that."
My heart fluttered at Leo's name and immediately stomped the butterflies brutally. "Why?"
My manager threw his hands into his hair and tugged at it, clearly irritated. It was a wonderful sight. "I already explained why! It's also the reason why I want to go now but you're not letting me."
I just ignored his complaint. "... Why do I need to go to the bank?"
"Oh my fucking god! You need to go because I just found out my wife is pregnant and I need to leave so I can celebrate it with her, like right this instant."
This motherfucker... I pinched the skin of my forehead and closed my eyes. "So you're telling me," I emphasised slowly, "you're ditching an important meeting and work for something that isn't really an emergency and can be dealt with later? Oh, congrats by the way."
"Thanks," he said before his tone turned stern and his face heated up slightly in embarrassment. "I'm not neglecting work! I'm a great employee thank you very much. Instead of leaving it be, I'm sending someone else in my place so I'm technically getting it done. Can I leave now?"
The response was immediate. "No. You need to tell me why it specifically has to be me who has to go." I noticed that somewhere in our conversation, Matthew packed up everything and looked ready to bolt out the door. The only thing stopping him was me and his patience was beginning to wear thin.
"Because," he grated out, "although you're the newest addition to the team, you're the next best thing after me. You're smart, responsible, loyal, etcetera. I am wasting time here but my point is that you are capable to do whatever needs to be done and I trust you with. I'm also plotting against you but that's not important."
I was touched throughout that entire response but he had to say the last thing and brought a frown to my face. As much as I wanted to ask what the fuck he's plotting, I knew he wouldn't give me an answer so I left it be, for now. Plus, I may have a general gist of what he was trying to do and if my hunch was correct, I was going to suffocate him with Raziel. "I don't even know what I'm meant to be doing or what's happening. You're ditching without a rundown!"
Matthew handed me a file. "This," he pointed out, "has everything you need to know. Just read it on the way to work and you're good to go. Got any more stupid questions? No? Great, I'm going then. Bye!" And with that, he sprinted out of his personal office, letting the door slam close behind him.
I rolled my eyes at his antics and opened up the file handed to me. How is that man not fired yet? The file didn't clearly tell me what was wrong so it took me about twenty minutes to finish reading and figure out the issue. The file just gave a bunch of numbers related to stocks and the company's funds but there was an anomaly among the figures, meaning there was some sort of issue that's arisen with the finances, which was a pretty big deal so it made sense why Matthew was required there. I honestly didn't know how the bank was involved or how they could help but if I were to guess, it might be a fault on their part. The irregularity couldn't be explained just by looking at this but I assumed Leo had more context behind it, so I guess I just had to ask him when I got to TB.
I had one final look at the file before shutting it close and leaving the office building. It was about time to leave and head for the bank. I would've left earlier honestly but staying with Leo longer than necessary would result in me having a cardiac arrest and a DLC was coming for Tekken coming out tonight that I wanted to try out. Yes, even I was proud about managing to keep my priorities in check. Although, if he does that off character thing of trying to kiss me again, it might actually cause me to instantly combust so maybe it won't make a difference.
Why was I crushing on such a troublesome guy?
â¤â§â¡â¢
"Thank you," I instinctively said as I closed the taxi door (I didn't take my car because I needed to go back to work since I accidentally left my laptop at the desk and that's extra gas money. And before you say anything more, yes I could've retrieved it and put it in the car but by the time I realised, I was already outside and I couldn't be fucked going up again). I appreciated the exterior of the gothic building for a solid minute (I was eight minutes early anyway) before making my way inside. I've passed by the building a couple of times and each and every time it got me in awe. It was very elegant. I'd never entered the place either so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat excited.
I entered the bank and wow, the place was even more gorgeous inside than outside.
(a/n we're also going pretend that there is a glass dome over the common area/public space)
They preserved the stained windows and the original colour scheme, blasting everyone to the past. The red carpet covering every corner gave a royal feeling. There had been renovations and whatnot to modernise the place but they maintained the big features of the bank. The place was bustling with customers, clients and tourists, preventing the old building from having an eerie vibe. That disappointed me a bit. Shaking my head internally, I shook off my current thoughts and did what I came here to do, which was find the boss and... wing it.
Definitely just another on the job, just not at the right job.
Finding him didn't prove to be difficult since his hair was standing out by essentially glowing (from the light from the windowpanes located above him) like the angels decided that he needed a halo aura to look even better than he already did. It was due to this fact that there was a somewhat clear circle of people around him who were either shamelessly dropping their lingerie for him, secretly but not secretly talking about him with their companion or were just blatantly taking photos of him like he was part of the art in this building. Although, I didn't blame the latter group. He could probably fit in fine as some sort of stature. My point was, the crowd just made him a bullseye.
I'd continue ogling at him (secretly) longer but the guy looked impatient, constantly looking at his (probably Rolex) watch every minute with a dissatisfied face. I'm still like five minutes early though. What's he getting restless about? I finally walked towards him, pushing through the now growing crowd until I made it inside and stood in front of him while he was looking at his watch.
His head immediately whipped up to meet my eyes and to my horror, his face twisted into surprise. Good or bad surprise, I don't know but the fact that it was surprise nonetheless, meaning...
"Nero? What are you doing here?"
Of course, that hetero dingbat of a cocksucker didn't fucking tell the company boss that there's a motherfucking replacement coming in.
Apparently, I said that out loud because Leo's eyes widened before he startled into full-blown laughter, as in he had to clutch his stomach. Even though it was at the expense of my humiliation and red face, it was totally worth it since his laugh was beautiful and I would make it my ringtone any day. Like holy shit, god really did not hold back when he decided that he wanted to make the perfect human being.
His laughter turned out to be contagious because I felt myself chuckling at my words and his reaction. I wasn't the only one either, people in the crowd were either fangirling over his laugh or smiling along with us, even though they didn't hear the context. The effect he had on people was kind of terrifying, it could be powerful if used right.
Eventually, he came down from his high but he still sported that stupidly gorgeous smile of his. Not the fake one or the business one or even the smug one. It was a childish, playful smile and it made him look a few years younger. A lot more human. "So I'm assuming the hetero dingbat of a what? A cocksucker was it?"
I just coughed in embarrassment and he chuckled before continuing, "I'll take that as a yes. The hetero dingbat of a cocksucker is Matthew, I'm assuming?" His voice very much told me that he was very amused by my very... colourful vocab.
"You assumed correctly," I said with as much dignity I could dig up.
He laughed again and I melted all over again. "Care to share why you're here in place of the pillock?"
God British insults should not sound that hot. "Matthew's wife found out she's pregnant today and decided to tell her smitten husband and said husband decided to ditch work for the rest of the day to celebrate. He said he's not neglecting his work since he just has a replacement doing it for him, i.e. me. He also probably expected me to not dog him out like this but I reserved a nice brunch place for lunch today and I probably can't make it now, so fu- screw loyalty."
Another fit of breathy laughter came out of the other man, making me all fuzzy and proud of myself since it was me who made him laugh this hard without severely embarrassing myself. An achievement if I do say so myself.
"Well, I guess your words are more or less justified if that's the case. That guy was always flippant but he sure as hell is the best at what he does, so I never found the need to fire him. So I'm not going to be doing that if that's what you're aiming for by exposing him. Congratulations to him by the way. I should send a gift."
I glared at him. "I'm not a dick, mind the language. He just found out his wife is pregnant, not that he found out a new game came out that he needs to play right this instant. So I don't blame him but it's definitely something he could've waited on."
Leo nodded in agreement. "Yes well, there's no point fretting over it anymore. I still have many questions that need answering and since my accountant is still not here, we have time to kill."
I shrugged. "Alright, hit me." More like please hit on me. Or you could hit me ;).
"Why did Matthew choose you as the replacement? You're quite new to MegCorp, so I'd expect there would be more competent workers from your department."
The sudden professional tone caused whiplash but I managed to hide the surprise. Wow, he's blunt when he needs to be. "According to Matthew himself, I'm apparently the next best thing, even though I'm new to the place. Hence why he can trust me to come here and solve... whatever the issue is. Yeah, Matthew didn't tell me what the actual issue is and told me to just read the file but I need more context."
"Maybe I should fire him after all... I'll fill you in later with the accountant and the bank representative. Anyway, Matthew is quite scarce with his praises so I going be holding high expectations of you. You better not mess this up." His stone-cold eyes froze me in my spot and I gulped. He looked into my soul for a moment before continuing to question me. "Anyway, on to the next question... your deadline is today, right now. What's your nickname for me? Or should I say... pet name?" His serious demeanour disappeared in a flash and his smug persona was back. Talk about emotional whiplash! I nearly lost all the strength in my knees. I failed to hide the blush but I did give him a mean death stare. I'm pretty sure it made me look like a brat. My height wasn't helping my case.
"Whe-Where is this coming from?" I stammered out helplessly.
"It's been in the back of my head for the past couple of days," he informed casually.
"But why? I'm pretty sure you have other things to worry about."
"And I do, but this is also something I worry about. Now, will you hand in your homework?"
"... What if I don't?"
"Then I fire you on the spot." His face was dead serious.
My jaw dropped. "Yo-You're kidding, right? That's abusing your power!"
He gave me a blank look before bursting out laughing, again. Between each breath, he amusedly said, "Yes, I'm kidding. I won't fire you but I will feed you to the vultures."
"The... vultures?"
"My fanbase," He leaned in and lowered his voice. "I'll leak that you're very close to me, closer than anyone else but not close enough to be my partner or lover. That's illegal according to their made-up rule book you know."
"Y-You wouldn't." I was shaking. I've physically fought against magma, serial killers, fortune tellers and even slinky users but nothing was scarier than Leonardo Covell's MegCorp fanbase. If you stepped out of line, they slit your throat with their manmade knife, stealthier than a ninja. You don't fuck with them, ever.
"Oh, but I would." The motherfucker was beaming his malicious smile.
"*sigh* if you weren't my boss, I would've sucker-punched you through the vault right now."
"Like you ever could. So, are you vulture food or not?"
I rolled my eyes at his confidence. "Like I have a choice. Unfortunately, I did end up thinking of two names."
Leo's face lit up like it's Christmas and impatiently waited for me to go on. I sighed, again.
"Well first one and my favourite, might I add, is wait for it... Da Vinci." It suits him even more because his face is one hell of a work of art.
Leo's smile stayed frozen on his face and he blinked a couple of times in disbelief. His smile remained when he responds with, "are you serious right now?"
"Completely." My deadpan face added to the effect.
"Really?" His lip curled into a dissatisfying frown.
"Mhm." My lips twitched upwards a little.
"Are you pulling a Leah on me right now?"
That did it for me and I howled in laughter. Yes, I was getting weird looks from the people around but it was worth it for the crestfallen look. So fucking worth it.
"Yeah, I'm just messin' with ya. No way in hell am I calling you Da Vinci if you can't do proper art."
"Who says I can't doâ"
"Doesn't matter, your accountant is probably arriving soon so you wanna hear the actual name I have for ya or nah?" I had no idea why I started speaking bogan out of nowhere but I think it's got to do with embarrassment taking over my entire body and causing my brain to become dysfunctional.
The other man also seemed to notice my sudden change in dialect (if raising his eyebrows meant anything) but ignored it. "Thank the Queen. If you called me Da Vinci, I would've fed you to the vultures anyway. Give me the actual name before you cause another heart attack."
I was flushed like a maniac. Nicknames were intimate as it is but this man was asking for a pet name! You do that shit when you're in a RELATIONSHIP, WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE NOT. I refused to do that so all he's getting from me was a neutral nickname, even though he has fucking Leo as a nickname. On top of that, he'd tried to kiss me like three times but never followed up or addressed it the following day or month. This man was worse than a twenty-one sided Rubix cube. Like the fuck world's hardest puzzle when you've got a Covell in the world. Brushing off the same internal conflict I'd been having frequently, I inhaled deeply and confidentially (I think) handed in my homework.
"Nardo or Nardy. That's the best I can come up with. It's not necessarily unique but it's uncommon. You happy now?"
Although the frown was gone, his face was impassive, which was a lot harder to read. It was nerve-wracking. I looked away from him and looked at my feet or just anywhere that wasn't him. The only thought that was going through my insecure head was he doesn't like it. He hates it. And his approval apparently meant a lot more than I initially expected. His honey-coated voice cut through my rumination. "Nero." Just the calling of my name completely cleared up all my conflict (temporarily).
His voice was also stern and it was because of that, that I looked back to find him with a surprisingly grateful and soft smile. "You should call me that from now on," he said, earnestly.
This time it was my turn to be awestruck because what the fuck, he liked the name. I could feel Raziel within me laughing at me because it was not something to be over the moon about but I shut him off and continued to internally throw a party for myself. What the shit? He can be adorable too?
That being said, I was still beyond embarrassed and I didn't think I could just call him Nardo all of a sudden and I expressed that very clearly.
"You told me to find a nickname for you, not call you by it."
"I thought it was implied that you were to address me by whatever name you came up with. Why do you think I nearly went ballistic at Da Vinci."
A giggle bubbled out. "God I'm fucking hilarious sometimes. Still, you're my boss. It's highly unprofessional to do that."
He looked very sceptical. "Are you seriously going to use the unprofessional excuse when you one, already call me Leo? Two, swear two sentences in whenever we see each other. Three, attempt to banter with me whenever you have the chance. And four, slept over at my humble abode."
Cue the red flush. "Sh-Shut up," I stammered out (I did it again), "You told me to call you Leo, we always meet in whack situations that require me to drop my professional persona, and you swear back. I do not try to banter with you, it just happens. It's usually you who tries to push my buttons. And you kidnapped me to your humble abode! That's not even my fault."
"I did not kidnap you, I saved you, you doofusâ"
"OI I'M NOT A DOâ"
"âmy point is," he said, raising his voice to take control again, "the professional relationship we're meant to have has been burnt down so you can't use that as an excuse to not call me Nardo or Nardy. Both are very cute by the way."
This man sure knew how to hit my fluster button with precision. "It-It's not c-cute! And I'll call you Nardo if I want to, Mr. Covell."
HE POUTED AND IT ACTUALLY MADE HIM LOOK CUTER. The people around us were outwardly swooning and I felt daggers of jealously hitting my back, shooting from their eyes. "Don't revert back, call me Nardo. I want to hear it from you." THE MAN WAS NOW WHINGING. WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?
"Are you seriously whining and sulking right now?" I was outraged that I had such a child as my boss.
"No." But his bottom lip stuck out, letting the entire world know that he was a big fat liar.
We have a serious meeting with the bank in a couple of minutes and I'm currently standing with a man child in said bank. I can't believe I'm doing this. Deep breath out, I finally gave in to his demands.
"Nardo (god that felt awkward, I think I visibly cringed), stop sulking. We have a meeting in aboutâ OOOF."
All of sudden, my face was stuffed in fabric and there was something wrapped around me. I was disoriented for a moment. Leo (Nardo?) pulled me into his arms and squeezed the devil's soul out of me in his bear hug. The action disoriented me all over again but I still wrapped my arms around his back, out of pure instinct. The action didn't go unnoticed by the taller man as I felt his growing smile against my hair and his arms tightened around me a bit more. I wonder if there is a story behind why he appreciates nicknames/pet names so much. It's fucking adorable though. He's like a giant puppy. Makes all the cringe worth it.
Although I found it hard to breathe, I couldn't help but also smile into his shoulder and tighten my own grip. After all, it's not every day you get to experience a life-threatening bear hug from your infatuation.