Chapter Text
Staff Conference Room, President’s Mansion
Brussels, Belgium
31 January 210
Duo lowered himself into a chair at the small conference table and buried his face into his hands with a groan. He wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into, reflecting back over the last month.
They had announced his deputization once everyone was back from holiday and he began shadowing their Chief of Staff immediately thereafter. He had been following Mendoza for weeks, and felt he was no closer to even remotely being able to step into her shoes. The woman was a beast and the days since his new duties began only reaffirmed his past assessment that she ran on caffeine and adrenaline. ‘Keep up,’ had been a recurring phrase that was grating him more than he’d like to admit. Meanwhile, the first trip in support of the President’s re-election was looming, and Mendoza would be leaving the office in his care.
He was beginning to think that was a very bad idea.
Leaning back in the chair, he ran his fingers through his bangs and laced them at the back of his head to stare up at the ceiling. By all estimates he wasn’t even thirty yet and while he knew neither Mendoza or Reuson really cared, he couldn’t help the nagging concern that this was harder than it would be if he had an extra ten years to his name. They were handing him the keys to the kingdom while a Sword of Damocles hung over his head. Duo closed his eyes and groaned again, straightening in his seat.
As he did so, there was a knock behind him followed immediately by the conference room door swinging open. Mendoza herself stepped in and quickly shut it behind her. Duo moved to stand, feeling suddenly embarrassed at being found at rest, but she waved him down. “Don’t. Sit,” she said, moving to take a seat near him. “I’m sorry for interrupting your meditation, but I’d like to talk.”
Duo swallowed past the vice that had locked around his throat. He said nothing, and waited for his boss’s verdict.
“Do you know why the President selected you to shadow me?” Duo shook his head. Mendoza continued, “Because I told him to. Because he and I both know you can do this. Because while I’m being pulled into staffing the President in the lead up to the election, I need to know now that the rest of the work is going to get done here at home.
“I need you to know that I’m teaching you how all of this works and what I do to keep the plane in the air based on my understanding and what I need to be good at my job,” she continued. “I’m telling you what I do. But you’re not going to do it my way. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as it works for you and everyone else. Do you understand?” Duo nodded. “Good.” After a beat, a shadow of a smile graced Mendoza’s lips and she asked, “If you were the Chief of Staff right now...what would you change?”
Duo studied her for a time, hesitant. He’d developed a laundry list over the last four years, but surmised that was probably unwise to share in this moment. But maybe...maybe a few things from the past week would be alright. “Honestly?” he asked to confirm. Now Mendoza did grin, nodding as if she was already accepting the criticism before he even opened his mouth.