Spike let out a harsh breath as he stood before the door of his employer's office.

'Alright. I'm gonna go in here, I'm going to follow the 3 Ps, just like Twi always says, and I'm going to fucking slay this first impression. Mr. Noir is definitely going to be impressed with me!'

After that little mental motivational rant, Spike confidently grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and pushed his way inside. He was instantly greeted by the rich, fullbodied smell of coffee, and another sweet scent he couldn't identify. Some sort of pastry, maybe? "Uhm...Mr. Noir? It's me."

A snort. "Obviously. Come, sit."

Spike stepped from behind the door and fully into the room.

As they were several stories up, the windows of Mr. Noir's office overlooked the city, and were floor to ceiling. At the center of the room was a rather fancy, expensive looking rug and a sturdy, polished mahogany desk, complete with a matching chair in front of it.

Behind this desk sat Sombra Noir, CEO of Crystal Industries.

Spike sucked in a small breath, slightly blown away.

The first think he noticed was his employer's eyes. They were an exquisite shade of reddish brown, that the assistant had never seen before.

His own green gaze inconspicuously examined Sombra's other features. Wild black locks, tied back out of his clean shaven face, a firm jawline, perfectly plump lips, and a well scuplted nose. He wore simple businesswear: A dark grey business suit, with a black dress shirt and a light gray tie.

All in all, his boss was a goddamn knockout. Was that what Denise had been warning him of? That his employer was far, far more attractive than the CEO of a tech company had any real right to be?

The man's expression was...impassive. Spike would even venture to call it bored.

"Well? Are you going to sit down Mr. Sparkle?"

Spike shook his head. "A-Ah...my apologies, I must have zoned out for a moment, sir..."

Sombra rolled his eyes. "Clearly." His hand extended and a (well manicured, might Spike add) finger pointed to the mahogany chair before his desk. He then raised a thick eyebrow.

Spike nodded sheepishly, before hurriedly walking over to sit down. As he took his seat, his eyes wandered to the various things on the desk. A PC, a lamp, a pyramid shaped paperweight, a sleek black mug steaming up from what was clearly coffee, and something inside a brown paper bag.

"...Your...hair..." Sombra mused.

Spike once again refocused himself, cursing his curiousity. "Ah...I'm sorry?"

"Your hair, Mr. Sparkle. The color." He gestured to the assistant's head. "I've never met someone working in a professional environment who decided to come to work wearing such a...distracting color. Not to mention the style..."

Spike instantly felt on edge. His interviewer never said anything about his hair. Was dyeing and his hairstyle against company policy, and he was only just now finding out from his employer!?

"U-Uh, w-well sir, I um. I've worn my hair this way since I was in high school and..." The assistant let out a nervous chuckle. "My apologies, I wasn't aware it was against company policy. I'll make sure fix that as soon as-"

Sombra held up a hand, stopping the younger man from rambling further, his expression amused. "Relax, Mr. Sparkle. There's nothing in the company policies or the guidebook that state anything against hair color. Only excessive jewelry, revealing clothing, large visible tattoos, and outdoors wear. And while your mohawk pushes the limits a tad, it isn't too egregious."

Spike breathed a sign of relief. "T-Thank you sir."

Sombra sat forward now, hands folded together and set on the desk. "Now, Mr. Sparkle. I trust you know what is expected of you in this position?"

Spike's eyes widened and he nodded. "O-Oh, yes sir! I mean, I at least know the basics."

Sombra smirked. "Basics, hm? In that case, we'll have to add some things you may not be aware of."

Spike blinked. "Oh...ah, alright?"

"Now, I in fact do not usually arrive at this time. I'm usually here an hour later, but I have arrived early in order to debrief you personally. This is a luxury you will only be afforded once, so listen closely and carefully."

The man appeared to let that sit for a moment, before continuing. "During this time, there several things you need to prepare for me. Firstly, you'll need to have checked my mailbox, which is on floor 6. I have already had a spare box key made for you and it is inside your desk. You are under no circumstances to take this key anywhere other than down to that floor, and inside your desk. If you somehow manage to lose it, the cost to replace it will be coming out of your pay."

The brunette reached forward to tap on a small tray on his desk. "You will place any company mail I have received within that box, inside this tray. Secondly, you should place any files given to you by other staff onto my desk, right here." He then tapped an empty spot on the desk.

"Thirdly, you will be expected to come to my office when called, regardless of what you may be doing at the time. Unless it is quite literally some form of medical emergency, you are to drop it and report to me."

Spik's brow furrowed slightly, but he chose to stay silent.

"And finally..." He gestured to his steaming mug. "I expect a hot cup of coffee to be brewed and sitting beside the machine-" He pointed to the side, where a coffee maker and a water cooler sat, complete with spare mugs, small paper cups, filters, a canister of sugar, some creamer, and a container of coffee beans. "-when I come in."

Sombra raised his brow. "You do know how to make coffee...correct?"

Spike nodded slowly. "Y-Yes, I used to make some all the time for my sister-"

"Excellent. Then I assume you'll have no problems." The man cut him off and leaned back in his chair. "Are there any questions, comments, or concerns you have, Mr. Sparkle?"

Spike took a moment to let the veritable info dump he had just been given sink in, before nodding once more. "N-No sir, I believe I'm all set."

Mr. Noir smiled thinly. "Wonderful." He spun his chair around to face the giant floor to ceiling window that made up the back wall of his office, then waved at Spike from behind, a clear gesture that he could leave. "That will be all Mr. Sparkle. You're dismissed. And please: don't disappoint me."

Spike shuddered at the way the man's already low voice dropped in tone, before slowly nodding his head once more, even though he knew his employer couldn't see him. "I...I won't sir. I promise you, I won't."

"...Good."

With that, Spike stood to his feet and walked out, quietly closing the door behind himself.

Sombra waited until the door shut, before chuckling humorlessly.

"Poor thing won't last a week..."

Spike sighed as he made his way inside his crappy apartment. "Well...that day was...boring."

It had been his first day on the job, and he barely did anything. He answered a few calls and forwarded them to Mr. Noir's office, went over the company guidlines a few times, and at the end of the day, he placed two or three papers on Sombra's desk and checked out of the building.

"I know it'll probably get more difficult, but that was uneventful as all hell..." He muttered. He threw his workbag onto his sofa and began loosening his tie.

As he made his way to his bedroom, he thought about his employer.

He had hoped to gain a bit more insight into the mysterious CEO, but the meeting with the man had hardly answered any questions, other than the one he'd once asked about the man being more attractive in person than he was in magazines and photos.

The answer? Yes. Yes he was. If not a bit more...ominous.

'And please: don't disappoint me.'

Spike shivered again.

He tossed his tie onto his bed, followed by his dress shirt, belt, and slacks. His socks were tossed into his laundry hamper and his shoes were set to the side.

Spike then rooted around in his armoire until he found a large T-shirt, and slipped it on.

Flopping on his bed, he slipped his phone out of the back pocket of his slacks and unlocked it.

(5) New Messages from: Ember

Spike rolled his eyes. as he clicked the Messaging app icon.

5:12 p.m.
Heyy, dweeb
I know ur off by now

5:14 p.m.
how'd ur first day as a full fledged adult go?
is ur boss cool
or is he an asshat like the rumors say

Spike started to type.

5:42 p.m.
Yoo
it went alright
kinda boring
he's not really an asshole he's just kind of.
weird

Ember is typing...

5:43 p.m.
there u fuckin are.
weird...how
weird like ur last bf?
or weird like
'call the police'

Spike flushed at the mention of his ex. He pouted and typed once more.

5:44 p.m.
hsjsjsks
i don't
neither, he's like neither
he's just kinda
mysterious

Ember is typing...

5:46 p.m.
mysterious...
how
did he do fuckin magic tricks?
cuz thatd be real mysterious

Spike let out a snort and a chuckle.

5:47 p.m.
Nah he's just
omninously mysterious
idk how to explain it ok, damn

Ember is typing...

5:48 p.m.
aight aight ill leave u alone abt it
wyd now

5:48 p.m.
talking to u
obviously

5.49 p.m.
wtf else could i be doing lmao XD
bouta make something to eat, im hungry af

Ember is typing...

5:50 p.m.
lmao
wanted to ask if you wanted to come w me and thorax to the club

Spike frowned. Not this again...

5:52 p.m.
Ember, you know i dont drink

Ember is typing...

5:53 p.m.
U don't need to drink Spike
just
come out and live a little
its been like 4 months, u gotta get over him some time

Spike glared at the screen. This had been happening over and over lately.

Ever since he had broken up with his boyfriend, Ember had been trying to get him out of the funk he'd been in. Which unfortunately led to a bunch of social anxiety for the man.

Spike knew she was just trying to help, but the last thing he wanted to do after a break up with the man he loved and had been dating for five years, was to end up with some shallow hookup at a bar.

5:54 p.m.
ill ttyl embs

He then clicked his power button to lock his phone, and sat up, preparing to go fix himself some instant ramen.

He heard his phone buzz, and briefly considered picking it up, but instead sighed and ignored it as he stood to his feet and left his bedroom, headed towards the kitchen to fix himself something to eat.

Author's Note

Not much hapoened this chapter hm? Just a bit of worldbuilding ig lmao
Yeah, Spikey Wikey is getting over a break up. With whom you may ask? Well, for those of you who follow me and have read my peevious stories, ya'll aready know

See you guys next chapter!