Chapter Text
Adler sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples to soothe the headache that was quickly building pressure behind his eyes. The bright fluorescent lights did him no favors, along with the regular chatter and bustling of the office.
Not to mention, his entire morning had been a disaster, accidentally oversleeping and ending up having to skip breakfast as well as getting caught in horrific morning traffic.
Now it seems that fatigue was finally catching up to him, he was hardly able to focus on the task at hand, eyes scanning over the same few words but still failing to comprehend them. He let out a sigh, Just a bit longer until lunch… He thought to himself as he eyed his desktop clock. He can do this.
He can't do this…!
Adler’s heart sank as he hurriedly shifted through his bag. In his hurry to get out the door….
…he’d forgotten his lunch.
A deep pit of dread opened in his stomach as the realization dawned on him. He slowly sat back down and put his head in his arms, blocking out the horrible fluorescent lights and hopefully, his hunger as well. He vaguely acknowledged the sound of the door to his office opening, but the information only truly processed once a woman spoke up.
“Would you like to eat together?” A voice came from beside him. He looked up, seeing Falke, his new boss, standing over him curiously.
“Ms. Falke…!” He exclaimed, sitting
up quickly. “I, uh, appreciate the offer, but I’ve forgotten it back at home…”
“Well…” She says, holding up her bag. “I can share if you'd like.”
It’s just warm enough outside to get by without a coat. Despite having a small seating area set up, the roof of their building was completely empty save for a few pigeons that strutted about and pecked at the ground.
Adler followed as Falke walked between the tables, choosing which one to sit at.
“This one’ll do.” Adler heard Falke mumble under her breath as she placed her things on the table that was closest to the railing. She tucked a few loose strands behind her ear as she sat down, Adler taking his seat across from her.
Nervousness thrummed in his chest, ever since he’s met her he’s always admired Falke, the sheer power and confidence she always exudes is both admirable and quite intimidating. He’s honestly a bit surprised at her approaching his desk so out of the blue for something like this. Outside of her requests for filing orders and scheduling meetings they haven't really gotten the chance to speak of other matters much. The thought of her taking pity on him in such a state made a light blush spread across his face out of embarrassment and, if he dare say, a bit of affection.
“My apologies for troubling you like this.” Adler said as he watched Falke carefully unwrap her sandwich and offered a half to him.
“It’s fine.” Falke said reassuringly, as Adler gingerly took it out of her fingers and nodded a polite thanks to her. “Besides, you don't need to speak so formally, it’s just us up here.”
“Oh, alright.” Adler said. A wave of relief washed over him when he took a bite. Finally, something that isn't stale coffee! His delight must’ve been obvious, hearing Falke chuckle to herself.
They both ate in relative silence, accompanied by the sound of leaves blowing and the muted commotion of the city below. Despite the silence it felt comforting, a nice moment of respite from the seemingly endless painful march of the day.
Adler startled as she stood up suddenly, the chair making a horribly loud noise as it scraped against the concrete. Adler followed behind her as she walked over to the railing, sighing as she looked at the city below.
“It's Beautiful isn't it?” She finally said after a long moment of silence. She was right, seeing the sprawling city and all of the people bustling below. “I like coming up here every once in a while.”
“I can see why,” He said quietly, a particular gust of wind knocking a few strands of hair loose. “It's… peaceful up here.”
“Very,” Falke said, “It makes me forget about all of the paperwork I’ll need to get done once I step back inside.” She chuckled, her expression souring as she looked down at her watch.
“Ah, our time is up.” Falke said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. Falke stepped through the doors gracefully before stopping. Icy blue eyes meeting his own as she turned around to face him.
The elevator ride was quiet, the silence that stretched between them making the air thick with tension. He should say something shouldn't he? -
“Adler?” Falke spoke softly.
“Yes?” He said, relieved that she's the one who decided to speak first.
“Thanks for keeping me Company.” She said, a small smile on her lips.
“Of course.”
Ding.