Work Text:
Anthony Bridgerton likes order. He likes pulling the comics section of the paper out for Gregory to read while he finishes breakfast. Anthony likes that Hyacinth’s “Ant’s Drive” playlists fit her mood, even though he cannot keep up with any artist names. He likes that his favorite mechanical pencil is always slotted above the row of function keys on the keyboard on his desk, except for today. He goes to grab it out of habit and comes up grasping at nothing. His favorite mechanical pencil with the rotating inner mechanism—to keep the lead smooth and even—is missing. Anthony could very well grab a replacement from the supply drawer, but he buys these pencils himself. Anthony Bridgerton likes order, and this is anything but.
He is already making his way past his office door, through the open-plan space, to Kate Sharma’s office. Kathani “Kate” Sharma was brought on by Agatha Danbury three months ago to help divvy up his increasing workload, and for the last two-and-a-half she has been stealing his preferred pencil.
Anthony spots her, not at her desk, but at her drafting table.
“Kate, good morning. I see that you are already looking at the AutoCAD for the Surrey hospital plans. Great. I am here for my pencil.” He has his hand stretched out towards her by the end of his greeting.
Kate looks up from her work and raises her brow at him in question.
“Good morning to you too. You forgot to account for the surgical wing specs, so I will have to rework that section. I also do not know what you are speaking of.” She smirks up at him before going back to inspecting their work.
“I did account for it, and it was not relevant enough to include in the first models we bring up to the board later. And you know very well what pencil I am talking. The same one you have been stealing for the past three months.”
“You know this project is important to me and I do not want to miss something just because you deemed it irrelevant by your standards. Some of us are not afforded the security of our name to shield us from scandal.”
She always does this. And he always responds.
“Here we go again. I came over to ask you to return my pencil that you took from my desk, and you always turn it into something else. May I remind you that I have been doing this far longer than you have and I know that the only thing the board wants right now is a pretty model to show the trustees to secure the next level of funding.”
Anthony is not even going to touch the last thing she mentioned, he knows better by now.
“Far longer than you have.” Kate mimics. “You’re hardly the seasoned veteran you think you are, Anthony.”
In truth, he does not know how much older he is, he would guess he has four or five years on her. But that is beside the point. The point is he needs his pencil back.
“Listen, we have a long day ahead of us before we drive out to the Surrey site, and I would just like my favorite pencil back. Please.”
He sounds tired even to his own ears. He used to sound worse before she came along. He does not think he’d ever tell her, but Kate has been the reason he makes it home in time for dinner with his mother and siblings. It’s infinitely better to sit with the chaos of his family than it is to eat alone over the kitchen sink with only the din of the refrigerator to keep him company.
“I did not mean to snap at you earlier. I am letting some personal stuff get to me. It is not an excuse, I just- forget it.” Kate responds.
He notices then that she looks as tired as he feels. Which is a lot. Even with a split workload, there is still so much to do that cannot be delegated to their assistants. Anthony knows truly little about Kate personally, and what little he knows is not something he thinks they could talk about. It is too similar to his own life. Anthony likes order, and he cannot have order if he is always arguing with Kate. Kate just has a way of getting a reaction out of him, and it is like he can’t help himself in wanting to get one out of her too. But he thinks they are both due for a little respite, life owes them one.
“Okay. Look, this Surrey thing has me stressed out too and I am willing to keep my guns holstered if you are too. I don’t know about you, but I’d like our first project together to go off without a hitch. I think us not arguing can only help keep things on schedule, and I did not want to say anything, but our assistants always disappear when we go at it.”
“Do you think it’s only a matter of time before HR calls us down for a conversation on workplace hostility?” Kate lets out a little laugh at that. “Technically the two of them could form a class-action suit against us.” She is outright laughing now.
“Penelope would have our heads if it got to that.” He is laughing now too.
After their laughter has subsided, he stays quiet and quickly glances around Kate’s office. She has the standard diplomas on the wall, pictures of her sister and stepmum, along with other knick-knacks that tie her office together quite nicely.
“Truce.”
It is rare when he is caught distracted, and the grin Kate is failing to hide gives away that she caught him unawares.
“It is not a done deal until we shake on it. My father used to always say that.” Anthony will look into the reasons he let that last bit slip later. Right now, he needs Kate to shake his hand, if only so he looks less like an idiot with his hand midair. He is at her mercy, and luckily for him she acquiesces.
“I would love to hear more about him. Or not. I mean if you want. Please do not feel obligated to do so. In fact, I never asked.”
Anthony has seen Kate stressed. He has seen her assured. Hell, he has even seen her slightly hungover after a particular trivia night Ben organized. But right now, she is flustered, and he has never seen her look lovelier than in this moment with a blush painting her cheeks.
“Some other time, I promise.” Anthony breathes out.
“Before you go.” Kate calls out as she moves past him to grab something off her desk. “If I had known this was yours, I would have told Gregory to, well, no. I still would have taken it.”
In her hand she is holding his favorite pencil before she holds it up against the center of his chest. Anthony feels his heart rate speed up at the contact. He moves his hand up to grab onto the pencil while inadvertently keeping Kate’s hand against him for a little too long.
He is not flustered.