Startup Situation

02: The HR Incident

For the first time in 5 years, you were late to work.

Not just a casual 5 minutes late, no. You were a full two hours late to getting into the office today. Hungover and grumpy, the only positive thing in the situation being that you were your own boss - so no one would be yelling at you for your immature start time of the day.

Some boss you are, showing up at 11am on a goddamn Monday. You were salaried though, your hourly devotion do the job didn't matter. The plus side of owning and running your own business.

If you were to be yelled at by anyone, the only person that worked in the office that would do it would be Hange. Even if Hange yelled, it wouldn't be that bad of a lecture either - they were way too passive about most things. But Hange wouldn't be yelling today because they were the fucking person that made you drink so much - the bad influence friend. Your residential horrible influence! The very one who enabled you to have the most wild and blurry weekend since your crazy college days.

So today, the chances of getting a lecture hovered over the slim to none category. However, the day would still be ass due to your massive hangover.

Or as Hange likes to say after a night out with them - a HANGEover.

You wanted to smack them at times. Most times.

As you settled in for the day, sitting down at your desk after you sent Tess off to get you a heavily caffeinated coffee, something with enough espresso in it to kill a horse you requested (she brought you a cup with four shots and a lot of cream), you noticed that your office phone was blinking. The red light indicating that there was a voicemail. 

You found that to be quite odd. Only a few people were able to access this phone directly, most of the time if anyone called it would go to Tess's line first - and then she would make the transfer over to yours. This extension was private, meaning that someone you knew personally had called. Clicking the circular black button under the blinking red light, you heard a light beep. It was about to play the voicemail. 

Your dear accountant's voice rang through the office loud and as crisp as ever. Your hands shot forward, clicking the volume down a few notches - the noise hurt your brain. Stupid Hangeover.

"Christ." They began with. No hello, no good-morning. "You're never late to work...you're obsessed with that damn place. Anyways call me back when you can. It's about the MP account..." He sighed on the line, then a second went by and you heard a sip. The man had really paused mid voicemail to drink something. You assumed it was tea. Typical. "If you don't call me back by noon I'm swinging by, haven't seen Hange in a while." Another pause. "Okay then." The phone on your desk made a click, and Levi's voice was no longer there.

You frowned at the phone, bothered that if he were to stop by, it would be because he hadn't seen Hange in a while. Not you. He did't even have the decency to say goodbye, or hell - even say he was interested in seeing you. Asshole forgets that you all went to school together sometimes, that the three of you were once close friends.

Asshole, however; probably knows what he's doing as he was easily defined as that: an asshole.

Levi, the asshole, could have simply solved this all by texting you. Unfortunately, Asshole was a tech-tard.

In the beginning when you started aoTECH up you thought it was crazy for him to take it on. Levi had been two years older than you. During your undergrad you met him through Hange and after a few very weird nights out - he kinda just fell into place within the two of you - making your duo a trio. Back then, since he was older, he graduated early and got scooped up by a firm right away - and during your senior year when Hange and you made the baby that is aoTECH he was already twice promoted in his company.