Oneshots | Pro-Hero AU | 172732014

Wake Up Call | Iida x Traveller

The slam of your hand on your alarm woke you from your slumber, stretching your stiff limbs above your head while you yawned loudly in the large workshop. Investing in a hammock was the best choice you made. You swung languidly while your drowsy eyes stared at the blank cold ceiling above, pulling yourself from the pouch of the hammock to turn towards the mess of your workshop, finding your projects in stages. Those few hours last night turned to long hours into the morning, leaving you to crawl into the hammock for your snooze. Sleeping at the agency had become a habit of late, most notably because of one thing that crossed your mind every once in a while.

DING

Soon a slew of messages arrived on your phone, pulling it from the desk next to you to spot the notifications on screen. Mostly reading the same words over and over again, and mostly from subscriptions rather than other people.

It's your birthday! Have a freebie on us!

Happy Birthday from your favourite streaming line!

Hip hip hooray. Today your gift is...

You swiped them away. Merely just promotional material on discounts and free gifts with purchases. Nothing new or fancy. Birthdays, let alone yours, were just another day. You stretched your back before stepping out of the hammock, realising that you were still in your clothes from the day and night before. Freshening you would be a good idea, also proud that you insisted on installing a shower room here in Research and Development. After all, long all-nighters meant much needed facilities to facilitate your needs. You were glad Tenya Iida agreed to your proposal to do so.

After a warm shower and changing into fresh clothes, you yawned loudly while waiting for the elevator to arrive at your door. Checking the time it was still beyond opening hours for any Heroes and Sidekicks to be roaming about, and coffee was very much needed. The thought of an empty kitchen was enticing and opportunistic at this hour of the morning, especially with your grogginess still looming in your head.

The doors opened quietly while you stepped inside, drowning in the, for all intent and purposes, elevator music that filled your ears. Sometimes you wondered if you should bring up a proposal to change the soundtrack every week, at least to keep things interesting. You turned towards the noticeboard beside you, scanning with sleepy drowsy eyes on any new topics pinned on it. The usual promotional materials still existed, much like your emails every day, and an assortment of colour decorated it in droves.

Come to think of it, the noticeboard had never looked so colourful.

You stared at it for some time, squinting at the words that emblazoned on what was cardstock flapping slightly from the ventilation in the elevator. They all read—

"Happy Birthday!"

"Celebrate Good Times!"

"Hip Hip Hooray!"

You blinked a few times, wondering if your emails were burned in your brain to see these words in your drowsiness, but staring back at the cards proved otherwise. They were all birthday cards, signed by employees of Idaten, whether Hero or not, littered across the noticeboard in a mess. Dumbfounded, all you could do was stare.

You really needed your coffee.

The elevator doors slid open with a creak after hearing that familiar ding, stepping out only to find a small podium standing alone in the middle of the walkway. As usual, the agency was quiet in the foyer with not a soul around, except for the scent of your morning brew wafting into your senses. There on the podium stood a mug of coffee, along with a slice of banana bread. Approaching it you found the mug to still be warm as if it were freshly brewed, and the bread toasted smothered in a layer of butter.

There was also a note.

As your boss and superior officer, I implore that you spend today here amongst the living with your workmates to celebrate your day. No work. No tinkering. Just fresh air and lots of cheer.

Did you read that correctly?

Also be sure to stop by when you can. We have things to discuss about your hours and your overtime.

You sighed heavily at that postscript of sorts, turning your eye upwards towards the large glass paned windows that revealed the office of Tenya Iida. Your dreary eyes blinked in disbelief when they caught the eyes of your employer standing by the window while he held a cup of coffee himself, waving down at you. You caught that smile upon his face. Not often do you notice such cheerfulness at this hour, but you expected nothing less from Iida.

You grabbed a hold of your mug beside you, lifting it towards him with a small tired smile before you took a sip of its warmth. His eyes still stayed on you, as if he were judging you on your next course of action before you grabbed hold of your plate of warm bread and toddled into the large foyer, soon being greeted by the early birds of the agency who cheerfully and loudly wished you a happy birthday.

It was going to be a long day.