It only takes Alpha a few days to get over to the high school and get his transcripts printed out. He's just coming off of a long, irritating shift where it seemed like everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. Omega had dropped a tray of cups, Alpha had given out incorrect change and two wrong orders, customer after customer kept coming back to the counter with a laundry list of complaints. By the end of his shift, Alpha had been ready to tear the mouth off the next person who talked in his general direction.
While Omega went home to call and bitch to Sunshine, who had endless patience and the best advice for any of her friends dealing with stress or drama, Alpha decided to just get the transcripts off his plate and out of the way. He's only marginally calmer by the time he walks into the waiting room of Terzo's office, paperwork in hand. "I'm here to drop something off for Terzo," Alpha explains as he approaches the receptionist, intending to leave the papers with her. The lobby isn't packed, but there are a few people in the chairs grouped around the room, all of whom no doubt have appointments.
"One moment, please." The receptionist gives him a polite smile and gestures to a free chair with one well-manicured hand.
Alpha releases one hard sigh of frustration, but obediently parks it in the offered chair, papers in hand, not sure what else he's supposed to do at this point. He brought the transcripts, as requested. Isn't the rest of this shit supposed to be Terzo's job?
"Terzo will see you now, sir," the receptionist calls, and the panel in the wall slides away just as it had before.
Alpha gets up and makes his way toward the office with a pinched expression. He just wants to go home and take an angry little nap, and wake up wanting to kill everyone slightly less.
The panel slides shut with a whisper as soon as he's through, like before. Terzo is behind the desk, ignoring Alpha in favor of his computer screen as he finishes reading whatever he's working on. "Transcripts," he demands, holding out his hand, still not sparing Alpha a glance.
"Fine," Alpha snaps, tempted to shove the papers down Terzo's fucking throat. He slaps the paperwork down into Terzo's outstretched hand, the whole shitty day just boiling over.
And then Terzo's other hand is grabbing his wrist. "Alpha, are you alright?" Terzo sets the papers down and stands up, moving around the desk and putting both hands on Alpha's shoulders, searching his expression. "Bad day?"
"The fucking worst!" Alpha agrees, hanging his head. "Fuck, I just want to--ugh, I don't even know! Run over every coffee drinker in the city?"
"Hm." Terzo stares at him for a long moment, then turns Alpha around, nudging him toward one of the chairs. "Your stress levels are dangerously high. It would be irresponsible of me to allow you to continue at this rate. Sit there."
Alpha tensely perches on the edge of the seat, drumming his fingers on the arm. "Look, meditation doesn't work for me, okay? I've tried it. I just have to wait it out, and I'll calm down eventually."
"I'm not suggesting meditation." Terzo takes off his suit jacket and tosses it over his chair, then rolls up his sleeves. That done, he grabs Alpha's chair and lifts it enough to turn it around, so Alpha is facing the door instead of the desk. The movement is so smooth that the chair might as well have been empty, rather than containing a full grown man. So Terzo really is as strong as his build says he is, Alpha notes.
