LARRY ONE-SHOTS SMUT FLUFF 2

I've Been Hoping You'd Be Somewhere Better Than This 1/4

by runaway_train

Summary:

"Does she know who it is then, from the New York office?" Louis enquires.

"Yeah, some guy Henry? Henry Styles I think she said?"

"Harry."

"What?"

"Harry. His name is Harry Styles." His heart sank. Louis hadn't met him, they had only shared a couple of emails back and forth, but he knew exactly who he was. And Harry hadn't just been killing it in the Big Apple, he's been ripping the place to absolute shreds, nailing some of the most lucrative accounts in the business.

Louis is so fucked.

Or

The one where Louis is up for a promotion, he just has one tiny, little problem standing in his way.

"So have you heard the news?"

Louis looks up from his computer to see Liam standing in the doorway of his office. "That depends on the news to which you are referring." Knowing Liam, it could be literally anything from a zombie apocalypse to the local Tesco running out of his favourite brand of cereal.

"About the new guy starting next week?"

"Eh, no? What new guy?" Louis' puzzled. He didn't think there were any positions available at Corden Winston Advertising.

Liam moves into the room, slipping into one of the seats in front of Louis' desk. "Well, word is, James has decided to take a step back from the day to day running of things, what with the new baby and everything. Jeff is gonna take over his position to support Ben, which therefore leaves Jeff's job open. Has Ben not spoken to you about any of this?"

"No he hasn't. What the hell Liam? I should be getting Jeff's job? I'm the only senior European exec after all, and London is the head office, surely it makes the most sense? They better not be hiring an external, no-one knows this company and our clients better than I do." Louis picks up the stress ball off his desk and starts furiously squeezing.

"Well, that's the thing. Ben apparently doesn't want to just give the global exec job away to you, or anyone else for that matter, so he's bringing in some guy who's been killing it in the New York branch here for a couple of months first, you know, before James actually steps down. Then he'll decide between you both."

"Are you serious? What the actual fuck?" Louis slams the stress ball back onto the wooden surface in front of him, causing the items of his desk to shake and a pen to roll off the side onto the carpet. He can feel the first throbs of a headache already forming in the back of his skull. He's been with Ben and James since he was nineteen, working his way up the corporate ladder. Eight years of overtime, late nights, weekends, 6am flights all over the continent, schmoozing the shit out of clients, presentation after presentation, his blood, sweat and on three occasions his actual tears.

All for nothing.

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad I'm only the IT manager. Don't want to be involved in that drama," Liam chuckles.

"Lucky you," Louis snidely responds.

"Sorry dude, that was shitty of me. But I mean, it's not like it's an actual no or anything. You could still get the job. In fact, you probably will, this will just be like a little final evaluation to make sure you're the man for the task." Louis knows Liam is trying to be supportive but it's not really helping right now.

"Yeah, well, we'll have to wait and see won't we? Who even told you all this anyway?"

"Do you even need to ask?"