Chapter Text
Secretary Uraraka Ochako, 29 years old, single, finds herself at the home of award-winning actress Yaoyorozu Momo. She has a bouquet of yellow roses in her arms and a smile that tries its best to deny her pollen allergies.
It’s not the best place in the world, but this isn’t the worst thing she’s had to do all week.
Yaomomo, as her fans and stans have affectionately named her, gives her that award-winning smile and a curious tilt of the head. “Uraraka-san! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here all across town? And all by yourself?”
Ochako gives her the sunniest smile she can muster as the actress relieves her of the armful of allergens, thanking all the gods that she hasn’t sneezed her soul out all over the celebrity. “Director Todoroki is otherwise occupied at the moment. However, he did not want to miss the opportunity to be the first to greet you on your recent best actress nomination, so he sent me here for a visit.”
“Is that so?” Momo regards the bouquet with grace, slender fingers picking up the greeting card within it. “And this is from Shouto too, I suppose.”
“Yes ma’am,” Ochako says, as Momo reads the message within the card. You are a beautiful person inside out. Congratulations. S.T. A very personal message, one that Ochako had deliberated upon and hand-wrote carefully on the ride to the agency.
“That’s sweet of you,” Momo says with a serene smile. Putting down the bouquet next to her, she looks at Ochako with a knowing raise of one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “You have something else to say.”
Ochako exhales slowly and gives an executive sort of nod. “Yes, ma’am. Unfortunately.”
She pauses to give the actress a moment to brace herself, yet Momo seems more than prepared for this moment as she only motions for her to continue. Well, if she is that prepared, at least they won’t be wasting any more time. Without the smile wavering from her face, Ochako announces, “While it pains him to do so, Director Todoroki would like to inform you that he cannot see you anymore. He wishes you all the best in your future aspirations.”
She says all of this in a polite, even tone, akin to how one would give a performance report at a business meeting. Funnily enough, Momo listens to her as if she were in the same meeting too--merely an executive at the other end of the table, keeping her composure despite news of her investments dropping in value.
“Is that so,” Momo says after a beat of silence. Inhaling quietly, no doubt counting one to ten in her head, she shakes her head and gives another smile, albeit a pained one. Yet, too graceful than the situation deserved. “Thank you for going all this way to tell me this, Uraraka-san.”
This isn’t the first time Ochako had to do this. After all, it has been exactly thirty days since Yaomomo and Todoroki Shouto, the young Executive Director of Endeavor Inc., started officially dating. Thirty days of going out in formal events and stuffy parties, smiling politely for the cameras and answering insipid questions about their relationship for the magazines, dealing with paparazzi and the unsavory showbiz rumor mill.
It has also been thirty days of Director Todoroki subtly pushing Momo’s hands off of his arm as soon as the cameras are away, and thirty days of Ochako buying the actress jewelry on behalf of her boss and his credit card to keep her happy.
Ochako came prepared for the worst. She’d had to deal with meltdowns and insults and threats to her employer’s good name. All things considered, Yaoyorozu Momo simply removing the 18-karat white gold diamond encrusted necklace that Director Todoroki gave her during the last awards ceremony is one of the most elegant ways to handle rejection that Ochako has ever seen.
“All in all, I expected this,” the actress tells her in a careful tone. “It must have been a bad sign that it was our fathers who pushed us into this relationship. I wonder if I could have done more to keep him interested, though.”
Dammit, she’s too good for this. Ochako finds herself wondering if she could have done more to convince Director Todoroki to think about this further. Then again, it isn’t worth the argument. Her boss has always insisted that relationships are a distraction from his work, and simply an inefficient way to spend his time.
Ochako smiles at her, sincerely this time. “Yaoyorozu-san, it isn’t you. Simply put, he’s a brat. You gave him more patience than he deserved.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that about your boss,” Momo says, with a laugh. “Still, I wondered if I gave it enough time, I could have melted that icy barrier he seems to always have around him, Uraraka-san.”
“Maybe,” Ochako says, probably much more honest than what is appropriate, “but take it from someone who’s had to work for him for as long as I have. You really don’t want to see past his ‘cool exterior’.”
Director Todoroki is famous for more than just his intelligence, finesse, and keen business sense. His icy exterior, paired with that beautiful face, gets a lot of people hoping to be the one to melt it. It seems that not even Yaomomo is immune to that sort of fantasy. Yet Ochako knows that behind that pretty face is a twenty-nine year old child who’d probably die immediately once left alone. Whether it’s through a traffic accident from seeing a cat in the streets, malnutrition from eating nothing but cold soba, or dying simply to spite his father.
The Director is blissfully unaware of his inability to function like a sensible adult, however (case in point, this situation right here). Ochako’s full time job doesn’t even give her the luxury to pretend like he is.
Momo gives an affirmative sound. Her hand cups the contour of her perfectly symmetrical face in interest. “That’s right. You’ve been his secretary for… five years?”
“Nine years,” Ochako answers, suppressing a sigh. “Yaoyorozu-san, you are easily my favorite among all the people he’s had to date, so I hope you trust me when I say that you dodged a bullet. I worked for him for a long time, and I’ve never ever seen him take anyone seriously. You also know how he gets about people touching him. Plus all he thinks about at any given point in time are one of the three things: work, work, and work, so I don’t think a relationship with him would be good for anyone.”
Well, he also thinks a lot about his snobby cat, Victoria. Oh, and tormenting Ochako with care of said cat.
Momo hums, dark eyes perusing her carefully. “He does seem to only care about work and not much else. But you touch him quite frequently, don’t you, Uraraka-san?”
Ochako blinks once, and shakes her head. “Me? Not at all.”
The actress smiles at her patiently. “But you do. And when we’re together for our dates, he speaks to you more than he does to me.”
Chasing after the absent-minded Director with a lint roller for his suit, frequently readjusting his tie for him, and doing every single one of his biddings don’t count. Ochako laughs awkwardly. “Well, he doesn’t see me as a person, much less a woman. So you don’t have to worry about that.”
It definitely isn’t the first time that Ochako has been accused of having an affair with her boss. She hopes she doesn’t have to defend herself in front of Yaomomo. She’s just sick of all the jealousy for ‘monopolizing’ Director Todoroki’s attention. Ah, if only they knew.
Thankfully, the actress does not pursue the topic any further. “Thank you for your courtesy, Uraraka-san. I wish the same for Shouto… I mean, the Director,” she says, and adds after a thoughtful pause, “... and you. The two of you.”
The knowing smile remains on her mouth. Ochako only returns this with her most professional smile and bids her farewell.
Well, Yaomomo might have meant something entirely different with her words, but with what Ochako is about to do that evening, she could use all the well-wishes she can get.
“At the end of the day, nine years is just nine years,” she mumbles to herself, as she takes a taxi back to the Endeavor Towers at the center of the city.
*
Director Todoroki Shouto, 29 years old, single, is one of the youngest major executives of Endeavor Inc, one of the biggest conglomerates in Japan. It’s not as impressive as it sounds since he’s also the fourth child of Todoroki Enji, the man who owns it, but he’s earning his rep as much as he can.
He begins a typical productive day waking up in the penthouse of Endeavor Towers. It’s a lot smaller than his own space in the family estate, but it’s only a few floors above where he works all day so it’s pretty convenient. Also, he has total control of the security there and only allows a handful of people in--his bodyguard/chauffeur Shoji, his personal chef Sato, Midoriya (but only if there’s work to be done), and of course, Secretary Uraraka, who is required to be there the moment he wakes up. Having his privacy is great, and not having that annoying old man there makes it a hundred times better.
If he didn’t entrust Victoria in Secretary Uraraka’s care for any reason, the British Shorthair would be gently tapping his face with her royal paw at around six in the morning. He gets up, brush his teeth, and then take a shower infused with vitamins and minerals designed to give him energy. He spends twenty minutes eating breakfast cooked by Sato and dresses up for work afterward.
Having been there since five in the morning, Secretary Uraraka meets him in his dressing room, ready with her choice of his clothing for the day. In that particular morning, she chose midnight blue and grey. “I deemed this appropriate for the conservative group we are meeting today at nine,” she says, tying a Windsor knot around his neck with ease. “We are expecting a long day. Will you take any caffeine today?”
“Ristretto, exactly 2.5 fluid ounces, 87 degrees centigrade, no sugar.”
Uraraka nods, signalling Sato behind them, mouthing demitasse as she is supposed to. “And about Yaoyorozu Momo—“
“Yes, I’m aware of the upcoming Daytime Drama Awards,” he says with a huff. “Best actress and Best Onstage Kiss, right? As well as Best Ensemble Cast for their performance in The Goddess of Creation--”
Uraraka gives him her standard customer service smile. Her eyes flash meaningfully as she says,“That, and her birthday is coming up. Will you give her anything?”
Shouto keeps himself from muttering under his breath. Shit, he almost forgot. “Just the yellow roses. Don’t mention her birthday.”
Just the yellow roses, meaning it’s time to let her go.
Secretary Uraraka blinks, eyes flashing again, but her smile does not waver as she gives a half-bow. “Understood.”
It’s been a month or so since he appeared in public with Yaoyorozu. Endeavor has been pushy about him seeing her, given her looks, talent, and old money background. He would have refused to do it, except that Yaoyorozu was a decent person from University and he didn’t want to make things difficult with her and her own pushy parents.
But she won’t make his work any easier, and she deserved better. He supposes this is an acceptable time to end things amicably. Well, as amicably as a break-up via proxy can get.
They make their way to work down the elevator to the main building, with Uraraka listing their daily agenda from her neat plastic file folder. An array of salarymen and women whose names he can’t quite recall bow to him all the way to his office. When he makes it to his desk with a view of the city, the priority documents are already arranged neatly in front of his seat, 5 cm away from the edge as is his preference.
“All right. Let’s get to work,” Shouto says, twisting his wrists in anticipation.
“Yes, Director.” Uraraka does that polished half-bow again and takes her place beyond the glass doors of his office.
When she leaves, he easily goes into the rhythm of office work. It gets dull from time to time, and when his eyes wander, he sees her with her eyes focused on her desktop computer, no doubt working on the next project proposal.
Efficient, accomplished, no complaints. The sight of someone working hard to keep up with him fills him with determination.
The rest of the day is a whirlwind of activities—an executive meeting with the board, another meeting with the legal office, a teleconference with their associates from India. He only remembers to eat lunch when Uraraka gets back from her assignment at Yaoyorozu’s and reminds him to eat the vegetables that Chef Sato prepared along with his soba. And then it’s more paperwork and meetings, and then evening comes and they both have to rush to a social event.
Shouto goes back to his penthouse, spends about an hour playing with Victoria, grooms himself and changes into a tuxedo. When he’s done, Uraraka meets him at the lobby. She’s garbed in something made of pink chiffon the same shade as her round cheeks, with just enough jewelry to make her look acceptable in this group of socialites without being too overboard.
“The Milan group will be arriving at the M hotel fundraiser in approximately twenty-eight minutes,” Uraraka tells him, her pink-padded fingers flying up to his bow tie in efficient movements.
“Let Midoriya entertain them first. We shouldn’t take too long, though,” Shouto says, as Uraraka straightens out his collar and wipes his shoulders free of any micro-creases that her laser eyes may have detected.
The quiet Shoji takes them to the event after that. The drive takes them twenty-nine minutes instead of twenty due to traffic, probably longer if Uraraka hadn’t navigated them through the side streets. It’s good that she’s there to get them out of the imminent gridlock. He supposed the fact that she commutes daily to work is useful in situations like this.
Eventually they make it to the ostentatious lobby of the hotel, where the equally ostentatious fundraiser is being held. Shouto knows that a famous celebrity photographer called Spiral is auctioning off his photos, and that all proceeds are going to go into educating orphans or something. He supposes he should care more about orphans--orphans are always a good cause to support, even though his last brush with orphans earned him the unsavory title of five pee-pee man--but right now all he is concerned about is that Milan group lurking in the shadows, waiting for him to find them.
And he didn’t mean to steal everyone’s attention away from the auction, but it isn’t his fault that he’s so eye-catching. With his heterochromatic eyes and hair and the scar and all. If it were up to him he’d get rid of the red, scarred half of his body, but then again his most important business partners tend to look for any signs of Todoroki Enji in him, so he can’t do that just yet.
Holding on to his right arm, Uraraka subtly pulls him toward a certain direction away from a flock of women looking his way. “I can see Chief Midoriya over there.”
They begin to approach the mess of green hair at the other end of the ballroom. He seems to be doing a decent job entertaining them with tales about his idol, Governor Yagi (which is the usual Midoriya fare). Or at least, the polite Italians seem to be doing a good job of listening to his impassioned speech.
In any case, when Uraraka clears her throat behind him, Midoriya turns his freckled face and gives them a large, sunny smile. “Oh! And here’s the Director, just in time!”
“Buona sera,” Shouto greets the guests with a smile of his own. “I hope you weren’t waiting for too long,” he says in fluent Italian.
“Not at all,” the leader tells him, and proceeds in various small talk about how they love the city, the food, the women, etcetera. It’s all small talk that he’s able to respond to flawlessly, yet Shouto notices the way they eye Secretary Uraraka at this last part, which gives him pause. One of them says something in Italian about her alluring looks, and asking her candidly if he can get her a drink.
Unfazed, Uraraka merely smiles and tucks a bit of her auburn hair behind her left ear. Somehow the man steps back, takes a good look at Shouto’s stare, and says nothing more.
“If you don’t mind,” Shouto tells them, after adjusting the sudden harshness of his tone, “let’s talk about partnership.”
It can’t exactly be called a business meeting since all of it is informal, yet it’s equally important all the same. As bothersome as socializing is, it’s important to impress investors with more than just numbers and data. All in all It is an easy and straightforward conversation, and Shouto managed to get their confidence in their business partnership without much trouble. After a toast and a round of handshakes, Shouto allows them to have their fill of the rest of the party while he retreats to his own company.
“That went smoothly,” Midoriya tells him with a congratulatory pat on his back. “Congrats on getting them to say yes. They’re notoriously hard to deal with, but also notoriously loyal.”
“Of course,” he replies with a sip of his whisky. Shouto wasn’t expecting any other answer than yes. He knows he’s that good.
“Gotta say, I was a little worried for you back there,” the green-haired Chief says. “You seemed close to losing your temper.”
Shouto gives him a bored stare. “You must be mistaken.”
Midoriya laughs and glances at Secretary Uraraka’s direction. “Maybe I was.”
Oh, speaking of which. “Uraraka, I didn’t know you knew Italian.”
Uraraka gives him a bright smile. “Apart from the types of pasta, I don’t know a word of Italian.”
“But you understood that that person was offering you a drink.” He wouldn’t have minded the flirting in an ordinary setting, but it’s a waste of time in this one. It’s a relief that he didn’t have to deal with it during the conversation.
She shrugs. “It’s obvious he was flirting. Even if I don’t really get what’s going on, all I have to do is this.”
She tucks her hair behind her ear again, much the same way she did before. Shouto wonders what her white sapphire earrings have to do with anything, until Midoriya laughs at her in awe. “Hey, now when did you get married, Uraraka-san?”
There’s a silver band on her ring finger, with obvious fake diamonds on them that she shows off with pride. “Since I won this at company day last year. It’s saved me a lot of trouble in the past.”
“Wow, you’re really ready for everything, aren’t you?” Midoriya says with a dreamy sigh. “No offense to Secretary Hagakure, since she’s pretty great too, but I’m so jealous of the Director for having a secretary like you! You’re like, a whole other level of efficient.”
Of all the things to be jealous of, Midoriya picks his secretary. What then about his skills and unparalleled genius in business? Shouto doesn’t hide his offense at that.
“Oh, don’t worry director, you’re pretty good at that too. No question,” the green-haired executive says with a bright smile. “You’ll be CEO in no time. I’m sure of it.”
It’s mere flattery if it came from anybody else but Midoriya, who has been by his side since business school. He accepts the compliment.
So the night wears on. Shouto poses for a few more pictures, talks to as few people as possible (which is still a lot--politicians, celebrities, models who want his attention and who are good potential business partners), and excuses himself when the threshold for politeness has been reached. Shoji comes to pick him and Uraraka up, and he collapses at the back of the limo feeling pretty pleased with himself.
“That went well,” he tells her as he pulls off the bowtie and allows himself to breathe properly. His voice is a little sore from talking too much, but it’s all worth it in the end.
“Agreed, Director,” Uraraka says with a nod. “You were exceptional in dealing with everyone tonight. I’m sure this will be good for the company.”
“Objectively speaking, yes, I was good.” He really is getting better at talking to people and sealing deals, so he’s proud of himself. “You did well too, Uraraka.”
She gives a cheery smile. “No, I could have done better. As you said, I need more accent training for my English.”
It’s a minor detail, pronouncing ‘business’ as bijiness, but Shouto is a stickler for details and perfection and Uraraka needs to address that problem. Still, if he had to rate her performance tonight it’d be a good solid 98.65%, which is pretty impressive for a high stakes event such as this.
Feeling very generous, he tells her, “Since you did a great job tonight, I can give you one thing you want. Anything at all.”
Uraraka looks up at him in mild surprise. “Anything?”
Shouto nods, even gives her that little smile that women like, for some reason. “Just say the word.”
He wonders how she can make her eyes sparkle like that, when they’re brown like chocolate and there’s only the city lights rushing past them to give her any light. Still, she continues to glow, her pink cheeks lighting up impossibly, pink-padded fingers tapping her chin in excitement.
It’s only out of pure impulse that Shouto said anything like that at all, but there’s a second between one heartbeat and the next when he’s sure he really will give her anything she wants. A new car, a new apartment, a new wardrobe, a better ring for her finger that isn’t as cheap as the one she’s wearing now. Heck, if she asked for it, he’d be willing to even give her a day off. And he’d pay for whatever it is that his secretary wants to do in her spare time. All she has to do is say the word, and--
“I’ve decided,” she says, after a moment. “Director Todoroki,”
Shouto nods, readying his mouth to say done,
“I’d like to quit my job.”
His heart pauses again, for an entirely different reason.
Quit her job? This job? Maybe she has some other job, even though it’s a breach of her contract to work part-time, but that’s the only thing that makes sense.
“I’d like to quit being your secretary,” Uraraka repeats with a patient smile.
The city lights blur behind her head, giving him a quick bout of nausea. An unnamed emotion rises to the back of his throat like bile, irrational and unpleasant, one that he refuses to let win.
“Okay. Done.”
She smiles at him and bows her head. Her hands come up to her chest as she gives another half-bow. “Thank you very much, Director.”
Shouto tries not to show an ounce of hesitation when he asks, “May I ask why you’re quitting?”
“Personal reasons,” she answers easily, and adds nothing more.
It’s nice, brief, and acceptable, just how Shouto likes his answers, but not this situation. For the first time in a long time, he’d like to hear her excuses, apologies, inane reasoning. Anything to make her decision make sense. Anything to make sense of the whirl of unpleasant feelings at the pit of his stomach.
But Uraraka remains silent, eyes staring straight ahead, with no indication of regret or remorse over her words. There’s a smile on her face too, one that’s too relieved for what she has just said.
For the first time in nine years, Shouto wonders if the smile he knows is merely a mask after all.