KEEP A PLACE FOR ME // Wilbur Soot X Reader

3

The office building was quiet, as it usually was in the morning. You made your way to your space, unlocking it and switching the lights on. It was just as you had left it yesterday - except the water you had spilled was dry now.

You plopped down in your chair and began unloading your bag for the day - water, coffee, a plethora of notebooks and pens, about four flash drives - and began the long process of turning your PC back on. The thing was almost prehistoric, but it was what you had and it worked... for the most part.

As it rumbled to a start, you got up from your chair. Normally you would take this few minutes to crack open your coffee and check your phone, but you had another mission today. You had never filed a complaint with Oscar before, and you weren't quite sure how it would go.

Getting out of your chair, you left your office and made your way down the hallway. Oscar was the first room on the right and the only cubicle with windows. He was usually here around the same time as you - you would see his car as you walked in to the building.

Coming to a stop in front of his door, you knocked.

A short moment after, you heard him call from the inside. "Come in!"

You opened the door to see Oscar at his desk, making a cup of tea with his little Keurig. He glanced up as you walked in, and smiled. "Y/N." He said. "I haven't seen you in a while, sit, can I get you a cup of tea?"

You took the seat on the side of Oscar's desk closest to you. "A cup of tea would be lovely, thank you." Oscar had always been a pleasant man - he was only in his early thirties but he already had a wife and two kids. You had seen them at the office holiday parties before - his wife always brought the most delicious cookies.

Oscar put another mug in the Keurig and took his own, sitting down across the desk from you. "So what brings you here this morning? Unless you're just visiting?"

"No, I actually did come here on business." You said. "Nothing too serious, but business nonetheless."

Oscar leaned back in his seat, nodding thoughtfully as he sipped his tea. "Is it something to do with your office space?"

"Sort of." You said.

You were interrupted when the Keurig beeped. Oscar took the mug of now hot water out and passed it to you, along with an assortment of different types of tea. You picked a simple black tea and dropped the bag into your mug, watching the liquid slowly turn brown.

"Sort of, as in its something to do with your neighbors?" Oscar asked.

You nodded. "Who works in the office to the left of me?"

Oscar thought for a moment before he spoke. "His name is Soot, I think. Rather tall fellow. Don't know exactly what he does, but he always makes his payments on time, so I don't bother him about it."

Not exactly what you had been imagining. You didn't know what kind of office profession would require someone to scream regularly, but whatever it was, you'd thought Oscar would have known.

You sipped at your tea. "He keeps screaming."

Oscar raised an eyebrow. "Screaming like he's in pain?"

You shook your head. "No, if it had been that I would have been more concerned. No, it's more like something was particularly funny or something along those lines."

Oscar nodded thoughtfully. "And of course this is disrupting your work."

You sighed. "It's hard enough doing an interview without the strange moaning in the background."

Oscar chuckled. "I would imagine, yes." He paused for a moment, stirring his tea. "You're still doing freelance work?"

You nodded. "It's hard to find companies that take on journalists full time when they can pay less for freelance work. You know, no benefits or things like that." If only you had been as lucky as Maddy. She had hooked a job as a news anchor, full benefits and everything, right out of university. You had tried, of course, but to no avail. You still considered yourself relatively lucky though, as you had built up a good reputation as a freelance journalist, and companies were more likely to take you on for jobs.

"Sounds like a busy job." Oscar said, sympathetically.

"It is." You said. You drank some more of your tea, your gaze drifting around Oscar's desk. It was organized and clean, just like him. His laptop rested open on one side, next to a picture of his family. A jar of pencils and pens was on the other side, next to a few succulents. The windows overlooked the parking lot, which wasn't a great view, but the natural light was nice. If only your office could have something like that.

"I'll talk to Soot next time I see him." Oscar said, setting aside his now empty mug.

You smiled. "Thanks." Now you wouldn't have to tell off some man you didn't even know. And hopefully, he would actually take it seriously, since it was Oscar doing the telling-off.

Oscar smiled. "Of course. And you're welcome to stop in for a cup of tea whenever you like."

You handed your now empty mug back to Oscar. "I'll keep that in mind." You said. You knew though, that you wouldn't be back in Oscars office unless you had to speak to him. As much as you would have liked to sit and have a cup of tea with him, your schedule didn't really allow for wasted hours.

Getting up from your seat, you thanked him again before excusing yourself and ducking back into the hallway, closing the door behind you.

Hopefully, that was taken care of now.

You headed back to your own office to get back to work, not stopping as you passed your neighbor's - Soot, now you knew - door.