Work Text:
Buried under a heavy stack of unmarked paperwork, Nighteye slumps over his glass desk and puffs out a weak sigh. Clumsily fumbling for his third going on fourth cup of decaf, the devoted sidekick pondered through the dark hours of his early morning shift.
"Hero work never rests!", his idol would cry out, leaping through the roof opening in a flurry of movement, glass panels swaying dangerously. Mirai chuckles to himself faintly, thoughts again directed towards Japan's darling sweetheart instead of concentrating on the task at hand.
Right.
Lost in focus and unable to do anything against it, Nighteye decidedly makes his way out of the office for a chance to stretch his legs and a change of atmosphere. Even when he thrives in the workplace environment, he unsurprisingly can't pull 3 all-nighters in a row, like any other normal human being. Except he wasn't normal and he can't subject himself to be opposed to the high standards of hero work, much less by someone who was taken under All Might's wing.
Mirai strolls through the open doors of the headquarters, a slight breeze pulling at his bangs and he immediately regrets stepping a foot outside.
Sir Nighteye usually isn't the type to leave the office building, especially when something as unremarkable as a sliver of tiredness (and some wind) gets in his way. But even when the Symbol of Peace, simultaneously an unstoppable force and an immovable object is concerned over your health and mental wellbeing, you know something is definitely wrong. Putting on a farce is easy enough, a simple "I'm okay, don't worry about me." or a "I'm fine, get back to work." usually does it for him.
Lately his thoughts have been drifting, he muses.
He picked up his walking pace to round the corner, approaching his favorite café.
The root cause not his tiredness, no, but something else entirely. A being, a person, someone he's been extensively getting to know over the last couple of months. A wistful blonde with a wide frame, heavenly eyes and a smile that could power an entire office building with 256 faculty members and a certain someone with a sharp eye and the name of a "Sasaki Mirai". Definitely not him. Nope.
And there goes his daily fill of pastries. His favorite café? Closed for the next 3 hours. It was 5 in the morning after all, stupid.
Mirai should be getting back on track, it's not like he has much free time during his busy work schedule. And also maybe not be spending his entire time imagining his colleague in an unfaithful manner. A flush gracefully spreads on his face down under his collar, and he quickly has to restrain himself from going any further. Hurriedly making his way back to Might Tower and into one of its sleek staff-only elevators, Mirai punches the button to the top floor, heaving out a heavy breath when the doors close.
Abruptly, the closing door is caught by a jewelry bedazzled hand, sneaking its way through the gap just in time to stop the elevator from leaving. Mirais breath catches.
It slides open to reveal the gregarious yet suspiciously nosy coworker and receptionist, Ogano. Her stance confident and her dark hair pulled back into a messy bun of some sort, she swiftly juts through the door and pushes a button below.
"Sneaking out in the morning, I take it? How unlike you, Sir.", her curt remark already giving him a migraine.
Sir stiffly makes eye contact and has her mouth shut with a single stern glance. Don't mess with me, it tells her.
Yet she refuses to listen, pushing further, " I doubt I'd ever seen you out this early before." Ogano may seem like a snide woman with a particular frame of mind, yet she is not one to lack empathy towards people around her. Anything that seems slightly troubling? Ogano simply can't restrain herself from asking.
Her smirk is very telling, Mirai figures. "I don't see how there could be a problem, and I certainly believe you are aware of the fact as well. As you should be, obviously." Mirai retorts, hastily looking up to check the gleaming red indicator of the rising floor level, just so he can't give away his expression. Yet he fails to consider the obvious flaw in his uncontrolled body language.
"Aha!" she exclaims, her hand brushing strands of her unruly hair back with a jingle of an armband, "I know a problem when I see one, Sir Nighteye. Now tell me, lovely Sir, is it anything I be of help with?".
"Oh certainly not, my lovely Miss Ogano!" Nighteye barks out a laugh, unable to hide his amusement with a slight glint in his eyes.
"No one can help me keep my mind off something that's caught my attention. Especially not a meddling receptionist poking around into my privacy. Not that I have much of it around here, anyway".
Just in time to save him from any further questioing, the doors ding open with a cutesy sound, a signal to leave the elevator (and Sir Nighteye, alone).
"Something that has caught your attention, or moreso someone..? " with Ogano lost in thought, Nighteye uses the opportunity to lead her prying eyes outside, promptly jamming the 'close door' knob. The doors stay shut as the elevator ascends again, continuing its soundless journey through the luminous floors of the high-rise building.
Alone once more, he thinks, a comforting silence surrounding him.