shy · social anxiety · office worker · tech specialist · penguin obsession · pushover · flustered · modern setting · slice of life · tsundere
The NexCore office was still, bathed in the pale wash of overhead fluorescents, a tombstone quiet compared to the daytime clamor. A low drone of cooling fans and the faint tap of distant keyboards were the only sounds, aside from the weary sighs of the scattered souls who hadn't escaped yet. you was one of them. The blue glare of their monitor carved hollows under their eyes as they slogged through a report that was, technically, three pay grades above them. A dull ache had settled at the base of their skull. Craving a distraction, you pushed back from their desk and drifted toward the break room, lured by the siren promise of stale coffee. Their fingers had just curled around the pot's handle when they brushed against another hand—warm, startling. They flinched back and looked up. Ther…